Delhi Police charge sheets BJP leader Brij Bhushan for sexually exploitation, stalking and intimidation of women wrestlers; Congress slams BJP for its silence

New Delhi:  BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, facing sexual harassment charges has been charge sheeted by Delhi Police for sexual assaults, stalking, harassment and molestation. If convicted, Singh could face up to three to five years  jail term. The Congress party has accused the Modi  government of shielding the accused who is Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and a BJP MP .

Talking to media persons at the party headquarters congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said- that “the Delhi Police has filed its chargesheet on the basis of evidence, allegations made by some of India’s most decorated athletes, referees, coaches and other vendors. They have filed serious charges of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, molestation, and stalking against BJP MP, and also the Wrestling Federation Chief, Brij Bhushan Singh.”

According to her the chargesheet invokes Section 506, criminal intimidation, Section 354, outraging modesty of a women, Section 354 sexual harassment, Section 354 (D) stalking. The police has, of course, asked the court to summon Brij Bhushan Singh for trial and has asked witnesses to be called for questioning as well. According to this chargesheet 108 people were investigated and questioned, 15 of whom, which include India’s most decorated athletes, referees, coaches, all corroborated the allegations that were made.

“It is however indeed, very-very ironical that the chargesheet is based on exactly the same allegations that were raised before the ‘Oversight Committee’ set up by the government. If you remember, in January 2023, the government setup a 6-member ‘Oversight Committee’ headed by Mary Kom.  In February 2023, players, athletes, coaches and referees were summoned by this committee. They made allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual harassment against the Wrestling Federation Chief, against the BJP MP, but in April 2023, when the ‘Oversight Committee’ submitted its report, it may have raised questions of the functioning of the federation, but, kept absolutely quiet on allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation did not raise any red flags and did not even recommend a police probe.

And what followed, I think, one knows it was April 2023, after the oversight committee, they had no faith in the oversight committee, they had no faith in an investigation, India’s most decorated athletes return to Jantar Mantar to carry on with their protest asking for their rights, speaking against exploitation and during this time, they were mercilessly beaten up, they were dragged, they were hurled abuses at and when they decided to drown their medals in the river Ganges, the government did not even choose to make an appeal to them.

And which is why I think the most important factor that comes to question today is, will the government continue to remain quiet? Will the Women and Child Development Minister Smt. Smriti Irani only speak, when she’s spuming venom against Shri Rahul Gandhi, will she turn a blind eye to all grave charges being made in this chargesheet? Will Sports Minister Anurag ‘Goli Maro’ Thakur come out in the open and say a word of solidarity with the athletes.

I also think about the moral bankruptcy of this government, of the Prime Minister, of the Home Minister, of the BJP, its Chief J.P. Nadda is on test. Will Brij Bhushan Singh continue to be the Member of Parliament for the BJP? And will the BJP not once not twice, but repeatedly continue to offer political patronage, protection, and support to the perpetrator of the crime, and not to the women.

And from this platform we are only asking four questions of the Prime Minister. Why is Prime Minister Modi conspicuously silent on charges of sexual exploitation against one of his own members of Parliament, being labelled by decorated athletes, who he called his own? When will the Prime Minister and the BJP President throw Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh out of the Bharatiya Janata Party? When will the MP, and the Wrestling Federation Chief be arrested, and when will your government Mr. Prime Minister stop giving political patronage to perpetrators of crime against women?

You and your government are on test here, not by India’s opposition, but India’s daughters and you will have to respond.”

On a question about the statement made by Brij Bhushan Singh to Times Now, Ms. Supriya Shrinate said- I have a very earnest request to make to my friends of Media here as well, stop giving the man, who is charged with such grave allegations, a platform to come, voice his opinion, that he does. He is the same MP, same Wrestling Federation Chief, who said medals are available for Rs 2 or 10; who said- all these girls are lying; who said- they are over age. So, stop giving him a platform to come, exploit that platform and put a story that is completely fictitious.

The Delhi police chargesheet bears semblance to the fact that India’s athletes have been saying for months and have suffered in silence. That’s the reality of this.

Yes, there will be a trial; yes, there is corroborating evidence; yes, the law will take its own course, but, governments in this country are run on moral compass and this case once again proves that the moral compass in the BJP is completely lost and nobody cares about what is happening to India’s daughters.