International referee corroborates Lucknow’s FIR harassment allegation against Brij Bhushan

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New Delhi: An international wrestling referee has corroborated a case of alleged sexual harassment by a wrestler in one of the first news reports against the head of the Indian Wrestling Federation and Bharatiya Janata Party MP, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Indian Express reported.

India’s top wrestlers had been protesting the lack of action against Singh at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi until a meeting on Wednesday, June 7, with the Union Sports Minister, led to a temporary suspension of protests when the government promises an indictment by June. 15.

Six adults and one minor made serious allegations of sustained sexual harassment against Singh. One had said that in March 2022, when the wrestling team posed for a photo at the end of the Asian Championship trials in Lucknow, the BJP MP put his hands on his bum, according to the Express report. She had tried to walk away, she wrote in the complaint.

Jagbir Singh, an international wrestling referee since 2007, told the newspaper he saw the incident and was also questioned by police about the photo. Singh also said he was standing a few feet away from the deputy during the incident. He said she was visibly uncomfortable and that something bad had happened to her.

Also Read: Who’s Afraid of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh?

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I didn’t see him do the deed but his hands and legs were still active, saying come here, stand here, he said, adding that from the wrestler’s demeanor it was clear that something was wrong.

Express noted that Arbitrator Singh is among more than 125 potential witnesses, spanning four states, who are part of the police investigation.

The relevant part of the FIR that matches this allegation notes that MP Singh came and stood next to the wrestler who was standing in the back row, and finally, to her surprise, she felt his hand on her behind. When I tried to walk away, I was forcibly restrained by the shoulder by the defendant, she noted.

After finally breaking free, the wrestler had to stand in front of the group to participate in the photography.

Arbitrator Singh is the second of two witnesses Indian Express spoke to who corroborated the plaintiffs’ claims. The other is a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Anita. An Olympian is among other witnesses who corroborated the claims of three plaintiffs, the newspaper reported.

The FIRs detail more than 15 incidents reflecting sustained sexual harassment and coercion by MP Singh.

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