‘Out of anger, I said…, ’ wrestler's father says girl was not sexually harassed by Brij Bhushan
The father of the minor wrestler who had accused Singh of sexual harassment has changed his statement, saying Singh did not sexually harass his daughter. In another statement he said that his daughter was not underage when the incident happpened with her.
PremiumThe father of minor wrestler has made a huge revelation against the WFI chief and the charges made against him. In an interview with Hindustan Times, the father of the minor claimed that WFI chief had not sexually harassed his daughter and he had made false allegations against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
As per the report, he recorded a fresh statement before the magistrate on June 5 and told HT that Singh's approach was “partial in nature against her". He further added that the allegations he made against Singh were “out of anger" as his daughter had lost in the final of the last year’s trials for the Asian Championship.
“The entire staff on match duty was from Delhi and the opponent girl also hailed from Delhi, which is illegal… I have changed my statement. Some allegations were true and some were false. Brij Bhushan had not sexually harassed my daughter but his approach was biased against her… I had received threatening calls but I will not reveal their names. I had sold my house to bear the expenses of my daughter. Without anyone's influence, I had re-recorded my statement," he said as quoted by HT.
Further adding, he said that they have no grudge against Singh and have recorded a new fresh statements on June 5. "We changed a few of our earlier statements. I am a father of a girl, and I don’t want to get involved in this fight. I had not withdrawn the complaint but recorded fresh statements. In anger, we had levelled some false allegations, and my daughter had faced some issues but all those mentioned in the FIR were not true," he was quoted by HT.
Many statements have been coming from the minor's father. In another twist of events, in an interview with NDTV, the minor's father claimed that ‘minor wrestler’ was not underage when the incident happened with her. The father told the daily that said her daughter did change her statement in Patiala court and said that she was an adult when the incident happened with her, however, the sexual harassment charges against WFI chief remained the same. Earlier on May 10, the minor had initially recorded her statement before a magistrate, providing a detailed account of the sexual harassment incidents involving Singh. As a result, Singh was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, carrying potential prison terms ranging from one to three years.
This has come a day after the grapplers suspended their agitation till June 15 after the government assured them that a chargesheet will be filed against the outgoing WFI chief and elections to the federation will also be conducted by the month-end.
Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshee Malikk met Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on 7 June, who had invited them for a meeting to break the deadlock.
Prior to this, on 6 June, the father of the accuser had said that the sexual harassment case registered by a minor wrestler against Brij Bhushan was not withdrawn. Reports had emerged that the POSCO case against WFI chief Brij Bhushan has been withdrawn on Monday. However, the father of the minor victim of sexual harassment allegedly by Brij Bhushan has told The Print, “The news is completely fake. I have not withdrawn the complaint. I have taken the decision to fight it out and I will." According to reports circulated earlier, the minor had retracted her complaint against the BJP MP. However, latest reports have stated that the girl has provided a fresh statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a magistrate, which holds evidentiary value in court.
The father of the minor girl had told The Print ,“yes, I have the spirit to fight. I am fighting it, but till when can I keep going? This experience has completely drained me". The parent of the minor also noted, "the WFI chief’s sexual harassment continues to haunt my daughter who can’t be at peace anymore".
Earlier, when the wrestlers' protest at Jantar Mantar was ongoing, a man claiming to be the uncle of the minor had stated that the protesting wrestlers are “misleading" his family and using them to frame Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing sexual harassment allegations against Singh is likely to submit in the court its investigation report in the two cases registered against him by next week, officials told PTI. As part of its investigation so far, the SIT has questioned more than 180 people, the Delhi Police officials said.
The protesting grapplers, including Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik and Asian Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat, have been demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan, who they have accused of sexually harassing several women wrestlers, including a minor. On 28 April, Delhi Police filed two FIRs against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on charges of sexual harassment levelled against him by six adult wrestlers and the father of a minor wrestler.
(With inputs from agencies)
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