Brij Bhushan Singh has reiterated that he was innocent and will cooperate with any inquiry.
90 per cent of the athletes and their guardians trust the wrestling federation, Brij Bhushan Singh claimed, alleging a political conspiracy behind the protests.
Edited by Akhil Kumar
Updated: May 01, 2023 7:00 am IST
New Delhi:
Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Sunday clarified his cryptic accusation against “one family” and “one akhada (wrestling arena)” which he claimed was out to malign his image by “fake” complaints of sexually harassing women wrestlers. 90 per cent of the athletes and their guardians trust the wrestling federation, he said, adding that the women who have complained against him are all from one family and the same akhada.
“The entire world knows that all these women are from the Mahadev Wrestling Academy and (Congress leader) Deepender Singh Hooda is the patron of that akhada,” he told news agency ANI. He further claimed, without mentioning any specific incident, that the protesters have now started speaking against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which should be taken note of as the protesters are also employees of the Indian Railways.
“You don’t get justice from Jantar Mantar. If you want justice, you have to go to the police and the court. They never did that until now. Just kept abusing. We will accept whatever the court decides,” he added.
When asked why Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief and opposition leader in Uttar Pradesh, Brij Bhushan Singh’s home state, didn’t go to the protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in Delhi even when several Opposition leaders did, he said Mr Yadav “knows the truth”.
“Akhilesh Yadav knows the truth. We know each other since childhood. 80 per cent of the wrestlers in Uttar Pradesh belong to families with Samajwadi Party ideology. They call me ‘Netaji’. They say how their Netaji is,” he said.
Top Opposition leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of the Congress and Arvind Kejriwal from the Aam Aadmi Party, have visited the protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar to express solidarity.
Mr Singh also responded to Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, who had yesterday asked how the accused knew the identity of the complainants to claim they were all from the same family. “Not just I, the whole world knows,” he said.
Protesting wrestlers have questioned the government inquiry, saying details of the probe, including the name of a minor complainant, have been leaked.
Earlier, Brij Bhushan Singh had said resigning from his post, as demanded by protesting wrestlers, wasn’t a big deal for him, but he won’t do it “as a criminal”.
“Their (wrestlers’) demands are constantly changing. They first asked for my resignation as the federation chief, I said that would mean accepting the charges against me. Resignation is no big deal, but I won’t do it as a criminal. I am not a criminal,” he said.
Brij Bhushan Singh reiterated that he was innocent and will cooperate with any inquiry as he trusts the judicial system and the probe agencies.
Mr Singh has also claimed “one businessman” was part of the conspiracy to tarnish his image.
The Delhi Police filed two cases against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh hours after the Supreme Court ordered them to do so, amid protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar by wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat.
One of the FIRs is over a complaint of sexual harassment by a minor, filed under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which gives no scope for bail.