‘POCSO Act misused…will force govt to change it’: WFI chief Brij Bhushan

The WFI chief was speaking to media ahead of the the Jan Chetna Maha Rally at Ram Katha Park in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.

Updated on: May 26, 2023, 13:35:00 IST

By HT News Desk

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Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has claimed that the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been ‘misused’ against him and added that ‘we will force the government to change it’ under the leadership of seers. His remarks came after the Delhi Police registered a case under the POCSO Act and other related acts for allegedly sexually harassing several women wrestlers, including minors.

Brij Bhushan has reportedly planned a Jan Chetna Maha Rally at Ram Katha Park in Ayodhya on June 5. (ANI)

Also read: Anurag Thakur urges protesting wrestlers to ‘have faith in law and order’

He alleged that the POCSO Act is being misused at a large scale and added that ‘even officials are not immune to its misuse’.

Singh was speaking to media ahead of the the Jan Chetna Maha Rally at Ram Katha Park in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. The rally is scheduled to be held on June 5 where the WFI chief is believed to showcase his political strength for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He claimed that around 11 lakh seers will take part in the rally.

“Under the leadership of seers, we will force the government to change the (POCSO) law. The law was brought by the Congress government without examining its various aspects," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Country's top grapplers, including Vinesh Phogat and Olympian Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, have been staging protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar since April 23, demanding Singh's arrest for the alleged sexual harassment of other women wrestlers.

The Union sports ministry has canceled all activities of the wrestling federation till the investigation into the allegations of the wrestlers is completed. Singh has earlier also sought to equate grappler Vinesh Phogat with Manthara, a character in the Hindu epic Ramayana.

(With PTI inputs)

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