Police book wrestling chief after SC steps in

Delhi Police have filed two FIRs in connection with sexual harassment allegations against six-time parliamentarian and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The case was brought by several top Indian wrestlers, including Olympic bronze medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik and two-time World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat. The athletes have been holding a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi since Sunday, demanding Singh's arrest. The court has directed Delhi Police to file an affidavit indicating the steps taken and the matter will be heard again in a week.

Delhi Police filed two first information reports (FIR) on Friday night in connection with sexual harassment allegations levelled by India’s top wrestlers, naming six-time parliamentarian and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as an accused, roughly four months after the athletes first went public with the charges and hours after the Supreme Court heard the case.

Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Friday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Deputy commissioner of police Pranav Tayal said the first FIR pertained to allegations made by a minor player and was registered under the 2012 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and under relevant sectionsof the Indian Penal Code. The second FIR was filed in connection to allegations made by the other, adult, complainants.

“Investigation into both the FIRs is being taken up in right earnest,” Tayal said, adding that the complaint was filed at the Connaught Place Police station.

It was not clear what specific sections of the Indian Penal Code and Pocso Act were invoked.

“The allegations will be investigated and then any decision on arresting will be taken,” said a senior police officer, asking not to be named. The officer said that Singh is named as an accused in both the FIRs.

This is the second time in three months that the wrestlers have camped in Delhi to raise their demands. They allege that previous efforts initiated by the Union sports ministry and an investigation by a government-appointed oversight committee have not helped resolve the issue or help the victims.

At a press conference held hours before the FIR was filed, the protesting athletes indicated that a police complaint was not enough for them to withdraw their stir. “This is not a fight to register an FIR. This is a fight against one person who already has 85 cases against him. We are adamant on our stand to imprison the WFI president,” said Phogat.

Their stance was bolstered with some of India’s most-decorated athletes speaking out in their favour, including Olympic gold medallists Neeraj Chopra and Abhinav Bindra, and cricket legend Kapil Dev.

With outrage mounting, the apex court stepped into the case on Friday. Proceedings before the SC began with the Delhi Police, represented by solicitor general Tushar Mehta, telling the court that the FIR based on the complaint by the athletes on April 21 will be registered on Friday. Two days ago, the police had submitted an affidavit saying that a preliminary inquiry was needed before registering an FIR.

But the petitioners, led by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, pulled out a sealed envelope and gave it to the bench, citing confidential details about the threats to one of the seven complainants, who is a minor and who left Delhi as she feared for her safety.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked Sibal to share the information with Mehta and directed Delhi police commissioner Sanjay Arora to conduct an assessment of threat perception faced by the minor victim and provide her adequate security. Sibal then pointed out that other complainants too feared for their safety.

“Our direction for providing protection to the minor complainant will not stand in the way of the commissioner of police to make independent assessment of threat perception of the other complainants,” the bench, also comprising justice PS Narasimha, said.

The court posted the matter after a week and directing Delhi Police to file an affidavit indicating the steps taken. Sibal asked for a special investigation team monitored by a retired Supreme Court judge, but Mehta objected to this demand.

“It seems there is something more to this petition. If FIR is registered, the law under Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) will take its own course. Every time there is a case of this nature, there is demand to monitor it by a retired judge. Something else seems to be playing out here,” he said.

He told the court that the petitioners were re being unfair to the police which agreed on its own to register an FIR. “Look at the prayer in the petition. It is to register FIR. This is being unfair to the respondent which has considered their prayer. The moment we saw there is a cognisable offence, we decided to register FIR,” Mehta added.

The bench assured Mehta that the purpose of keeping the matter pending was not to monitor investigations. “We are not going to monitor or channelise investigation. But we are simply keeping it after a week. Let the investigation start,” said the bench.

The court was hearing a petition filed on Monday by the athletes demanding a criminal complaint into their allegations. The petitioners, led by wrestler Vinesh Phogat, have told the court they do not expect justice from the government or the police as Singh is a ruling party MP.

The allegations against Singh of sexual harassment, intimidation and mental torture first surfaced in January when the athletes first hit the streets in Delhi. The Union sports ministry then asked Singh to temporarily step aside and formed a committee to run the federation’s daily affairs and investigate the charges, prompting the players to withdraw their stir.

But the players returned to the Capital earlier this week, alleging that their demands were being stonewalled under political pressure. Things came to a pass on Thursday when Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief, track icon PT Usha, came down hard on the protesters while announcing a three-member ad hoc committee to run WFI.

Speaking to the media after an executive council meeting that lasted close to four-and-a-half hours, Usha slammed the wrestlers for “tarnishing the image of the country”, and said that rather than taking to the streets, the aggrieved sportspersons should have approached IOA’s athletes commission.

Hours later, the athletes hit back, drawing support from a cross-section of players.