Police charge Brij Bhushan in one case, seek cancellation of 2nd
The Delhi Police on Thursday charged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in one case and filed a report seeking the cancellation of the second filed against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO ) Act.
A minor was among the athletes who levelled sexual harassment charges against Singh. The minor’s charges could have attracted a minimum punishment of five years if proven. But her father, who was the complainant in the case, withdrew the allegations.
A police officer, who did not want to be named, said investigators found evidence in the first case against Singh but since he faces a maximum punishment of five years, it is not mandatory to arrest him.
Deputy police commissioner Pranav Tayal said Singh, who headed the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for 12 years, has been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC)’s Sections 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty), 354A (sexually coloured remarks) and 354D (stalking). His aide, Vinod Tomar, has been indicted under IPC’s sections 109 (abetment), 354, 354A, and 506 (criminal intimidation).
The first officer said the details about alleged sexual harassment sought from overseas wrestling federations have yet not been received and that they may later file a supplementary charge sheet. “It is a charge sheet; not a final report. So, whatever the investigators get after filing the primary charge sheet, will certainly be included in the supplementary charge sheet/s. Also, the forensic reports of digital evidence such as photos, videos, and audio have not been obtained yet from the laboratories…we may include their findings in the supplementary charge sheet,” said the second officer, requesting anonymity.
The officer said Singh and Tomar joined the investigation and cooperated and no recovery or discovery of facts was to be made from them or at their instance. “Their addresses are verified and there is no likelihood of them escaping,” he quoted the primary 1,082-page charge sheet as saying.
The Delhi Police told another local court that no corroborative evidence was found against Singh in the POCSO Act case and that it should be cancelled. In their 552-page cancellation report, the police cited statements from the minor wrestler, her father, Singh, and other witnesses. A cancellation report is filed in cases when no corroborative evidence is found. The court will hear the matter next on July 4.
Tayal said they filed the report requesting the cancellation of the case based on statements of the minor and her father after the completion of the investigation.
Public prosecutor Atul Srivastav, who read out the charges against Singh, said they have filed criminal charges in a case filed by six wrestlers and sought closure in the other case filed on behalf of the minor. Further hearing on the charge sheet has been scheduled for June 22.
Police on Sunday said that four of the six women athletes provided audio and visual evidence to corroborate their allegations.
Top wrestlers seeking action against Singh suspended their protest after Union minister Anurag Thakur on June 7 met Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik and assured them that a charge sheet in the case would be filed by June 15.
In cases such as those related to sexual harassment, the burden of proof lies on investigating agencies. Police began the probe after filing two cases against Singh when the Supreme Court’s intervened. They did not file a first information report for weeks.
On Friday last, a team of Delhi Police visited the WFI office with one of the complainants for about 30 minutes to recreate the sequence of events even as Singh was in his house on the same premises. Punia said the complainant went through “mental trauma” after the visit.
The protesting wrestlers camped at Jantar Mantar for 38 days demanding Singh’s immediate arrest until the Delhi Police uprooted their tents there on May 28. They were manhandled, stopped, and detained as they sought to march to the new Parliament building during its inauguration that day.
The wrestlers later held off on immersing their medals in the Ganga as part of their protest against Singh and broke down in a huddle played out on live television.
A Special Investigation Team probing the matter questioned over 180 people and visited Singh’s residence in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda to record statements of his relatives, colleagues, and associates.