‘…with 1,000 children. Did I eat Shilajit with roti?’: Brij Bhushan amid sex assault claims by wrestlers

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing sexual harassment charges by female wrestlers, has made a controversial comment in response to those targeting him over the issue. In a TV interview, Singh said some are claiming that he had sexually abused 1,000 females, “as if I have eaten roti made of Shilajit”.

“Earlier, they were saying that I had sexually abused 100 children. Then they started saying that it happened to 1,000 children. Did I eat roti made of Shilajit?” Singh told ABP News channel.

“If these people go to Jantar Mantar, I will resign,” Singh said, alleging that the wrestlers protesting are politically motivated.

The Delhi Police filed two FIRs against Singh on Friday on allegations of sexual harassment levelled against the BJP MP by seven women wrestlers.

The FIRs were filed hours after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Police, told an apex court bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha that a case would be registered on Friday.

While the first FIR relates to the allegations of a minor wrestler and was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the second was related to outraging the modesty of women.

Several wrestlers who have brought laurels for the country from international competitions have been protesting at Jantar Mantar, demanding that the government make public the findings of an oversight panel that investigated the sexual harassment charges against Singh.

The wrestlers have asserted that they would not leave the protest site until Singh is arrested. They resumed their sit-in last week and demanded that the findings of the panel that probed the allegations be made public.