Tribune Press Service
Satya Prakash Karam Prakash
New Delhi, 31 May
More than a month after Delhi Police filed an FIR against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Charan Singh over a sexual harassment complaint from wrestlers, wrestlers continue to press for his arrest.
On Wednesday, Rajya Sabha MP and prominent lawyer Kapil Sibal, after criticizing the government for its alleged inaction in arresting the head of the International Federation of Islamic Financial Institutions, questioned whether the POCSO law and immediate arrest under it applied to all the accused except for Brij Bhushan as it belonged to him. Bharatiya Janata Party. .
Legal experts argue that in POCSO cases, the rule is for the accused to be arrested for questioning. The fact that an FIR was filed against Brij Bhushan on April 28 after the wrestlers went to the Supreme Court and he was not arrested despite such serious allegations raises questions about how the investigation was conducted. Generally, under the POCSO Act, the FIR, the arrest It is done on the spot where there is a presumption of guilt,” said lead court advocate Vikas Singh.
But police sources said that Brigg Buchan was not arrested immediately as they first had to verify and identify the age of the “underage” wrestler, who happened to be one of the complainants. They added that the investigators had already obtained certain documents related to the date of birth of the “underage” wrestler.
Delhi police on wednesday explained that the sex A harassment case against Singh is being investigated and a report will be submitted to the appropriate court.
The clarification came hours after some media announced that the Delhi Police had so far found nothing substantial against the accused WFI chief in the investigation. “This news is obviously ‘false’ and investigation into this sensitive matter is being conducted with full sensitivity,” Delhi Police wrote on Twitter, only to be deleted in less than an hour. Later, a Delhi Police spokesperson shared another message in Hindi with reporters. Case reports filed by wrestlers are still under investigation. Case reports are filed in court in these cases. Since cases are under investigation, it would be against procedure to say anything before the report is submitted to court.
The sources said that the official of the Wrestling Federation was summoned twice by the police earlier this month and interrogated her for hours about the allegations of the wrestlers, adding that her statement was also recorded.
One of them, claiming to be the uncle of the “young” wrestler, spoke out against protesting wrestlers on Tuesday, accusing them of “tricking” his family and using them to hurt the IFRC president. On Wednesday, Chairwoman of the Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal, issued a summons to the Deputy Commissioner of New Delhi District Police, demanding the release of a report on the identity of the alleged underage complainant being held and requesting an FIR on the matter. . The DCW president has asked the DCP to appear before the commission on Friday with a report on the action taken in the case.
The summons was issued after a video was broadcast on social media in which a person claiming to be the minor’s uncle allegedly revealed the minor’s identity. DCW said it was a criminal offense under the POCSO.
The committee requested the Delhi Police to provide a copy of the FIR along with the details of the accused who was arrested in the case and investigated the reasons why the main accused Brij Bhushan Charan Singh had not been arrested yet.
The commission also asked the Delhi Police to provide a copy of the investigation report showing whether the accused WFI boss was in any way connected with the act of revealing the identity of the young wrestler.
Be patient, Anurag says to the wrestlers
The government contacted wrestlers’ Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday, urging them to be patient and not take any extreme measures until the conclusion of a Delhi police investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against FCI president Prej Bhushan Charan Singh.
I will hang myself if the charges are proven
In Barabanki, Brij Bhuchan said he would hang himself even if a charge was found against him. Kaiserganj, a BJP MP, said wrestlers are like his children and he would not blame them as he was so invested in their success.
Why was Brij Bhushan not arrested?
- An FIR was filed against WFI President Brij Bhushan on 28 April, after the wrestlers moved to SC.
- Under POCSO, FIR status reporting and arrest are promptly reported when there is a presumption of guilt
- The accused IFRC president has yet to be arrested as wrestlers continue to agitate
Revealing the identity of a minor, DCW requires action
The Delhi Commission for Women issued a summons to the DCP after a video revealed the identity of the complaining minor. The committee requested the FIR report, saying it was a criminal offense under the POCSO.
#Brig Bhushan Sharan Singh
