NEW DELHI: Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is at the centre of a controversy and facing charges of sexual harassment, is “liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences" related to stalking and molestation, the Delhi Police chargesheet said.
The chargesheet has been submitted based on the “investigation so far”.
According to an Indian Express report, the chargesheet dated June 13 also pointed out that Singh’s harassment was “repeated and continuing” in one of six cases lodged against him. The Delhi Police has invoked against Singh several of IPC sections including 506 (criminal intimidation), 354 (outraging modesty of a woman), 354 A (sexual harassment), and 354 D (stalking).
Singh, the wrestling body chief and also a Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentary representative from Uttar Pradesh, faced sections 354, 354A and 354D in two of the six cases, while charges related to sections 354 and 354A are being filed against him in the remaining four cases. If the event of a conviction, these charges could mean that he would be potentially looking at a prison sentence of up to five years.
The chargesheet is based on a probe during which 108 witnesses were examined. Among these, 15 people like wrestlers, coaches and referees have given their support to the allegations made against the BJP MP.
On Friday, Singh had been summoned by Delhi's Rouse Avenue court in the matter. The court noted that enough evidence was present against Singh to proceed with the case. He has been directed by the court to appear before it again on July 18.
In the initial stages, seven wrestlers, which included a minor, had lodged complaints against Singh alleging grave misconduct. However, some days later, the minor complainant decided to withdraw her statement before a district magistrate.
The recent chain of events followed in the heels of the sit-in protest by wrestlers at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The long protest was led by prominent wrestlers such as Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, who demanded nothing less than Singh’s arrest.
The Jantar Mantar protest, which began on April 23, lasted for a while until the police detained them for violating law and order when they attempted to organise a gathering in front of the new parliament on the day of its inauguration on May 28.
Their protest was later suspended after a meeting with union minister Anurag Thakur, who gave them assurance that the chargesheet in the case would be filed by June 15.
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