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Brij Bhushan Singh's Lok Sabha poll ticket to be cancelled? Ex-WFI chief's reply
Brij Bhushan Singh, a BJP MP from UP, is an accused of sexually abusing several women wrestlers when he was the Wrestling Federation of India chief.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, an accused of sexually abusing several women wrestlers during his tenure as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India, has exuded confidence about his political career when questioned about its future. In a viral video, Singh is seen saying, "who is going to cancel my ticket”, when asked if he will be given one in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
During an event in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP confidently posed a question in Hindi, “Kaun kaat raha hai uska naam batao?…kaatoge aap? Kaatoge?…(Who will cancel my ticket? Will you do it? Will you?…)."
Also Read: The man facing Indian wrestling's greatest rebellion
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As the video went viral, many on social media expressed their anguish over Brij Bhushan's "arrogance” even as the case against him is under investigation.
Delhi Women's Commission chief Swati Maliwal also shared the video, alleging that “a larger support” behind Singh for him to be able to show “so much arrogance of power".
“Brij Bhushan, who sexually exploited the daughters who brought medals for the country, is openly challenging who has the courage to cancel his ticket? Only a big man must be in charge of this, that is why there is so much arrogance of power,” she claimed.
'Brij Bhushan missed no opportunity to harass women wrestlers'
On Saturday, the Delhi Police told the district Rouse Avenue Court that Brij Bhushan “missed no opportunity to harass women wrestlers.” He held the WFI chief post from 2012-2023.
The police argued that Brij Bhushan was aware of what he was doing. Appearing in front of additional chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Harjeet Singh Jaspal, Special public prosecutor (SPP) Atul Srivastava contended that there existed a clear intent on the part of the accused, with all the incidents interconnected. Therefore, the complaints were clubbed into one FIR.
To support his arguments, the SSP made reference to incidents that occurred in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Bellary, and New Delhi as evidence of the accused's intent. In addition, he also said that the oversight committee never absolved the accused of the allegations.
The Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet against the six-time Lok Sabha MP on June 15 under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case was registered following a month-long protest held against Singh, led by prominent wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia among others.
