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WFI chief Brij Bhushan claims Ayodhya rally postponed due to ‘safety reasons’
Two FIRs have been registered against WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, including one by the father of a minor wrestler invoking the POCSO Act.
Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Friday said his “grand rally” in Ayodhya has been postponed due to “safety reasons.”
“We have cancelled the rally, you can say, due to safety reasons. Still, I welcome those who have supported me,” Singh told reporters in Ayodhya.
Singh postponed his ‘Jan Chetna Maha Rally’ a day after representatives of around 50 khaps or clan-based outfits met in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar in support of the wrestlers amid growing demand to arrest Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on charges of sexual harassment of grapplers, including at least one minor.
Earlier today, Singh announced his decision to postpone the rally in a Facebook post citing the ongoing police investigation against him and Supreme Court directives. The Lok Sabha member from Kaiserganj maintained that the charges against him were politically motivated.
He claimed that some political parties are trying to “disrupt social harmony by promoting regionalism, regionalism and communal conflict by holding rallies at various places.”
The objective of the grand rally, Singh claimed, was to “reflect on the evil spreading throughout the society,” but it had to be postponed for a few days to comply with the apex court's directives.
Meanwhile, Khap panchayat leaders have given an ultimatum to the government to arrest Singh by June 9, failure of which they will launch a fresh agitation at Jantar Mantar of Delhi. The decision was taken unanimously by hundreds of representatives of Khap panchayats from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Briefing the media about the decision, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said the representatives have decided to give the government seven days to act on the demand.
“We have taken a decision that government must address the grievances of wrestlers and he (Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) should be arrested otherwise we will go with wrestlers to Jantar Mantar, Delhi on June 9 and will hold panchayats across the nation,” Tikait said.
Singh allegedly offered to buy a wrestler “supplements” if she gave in to his sexual advances, called another to his bed and hugged her besides assaulting and inappropriately touching other athletes, according to the First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against him. According to the FIR filed under the POCSO Act, Singh allegedly held the minor wrestler tightly during the 2022 Ranchi National Games while pretending to get a picture clicked. He then allegedly touched her inappropriately. A third complainant alleged Singh assaulted her sexually during a championship at Sofia in Bulgaria last year.
