"Brij Bhushan Singh Didn't Sexually Harass My Daughter," Reveals Minor Wrestler's Father

In a new twist, the minor wrestler’s father, based on whose complaint a case under the POCSO Act was registered against Wrestling Federation India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by the Delhi police, has recently claimed that he and his daughter have made some "false allegations" against the BJP MP.

In a new statement on June 5, the girl’s father issued a fresh statement to the Magistrate in New Delhi and told Hindustan Times over a phone conversation that Brij Bhushan had not sexually harassed his daughter but had displayed a partial approach against her.

Minor Wrestler's Allegations

• The minor wrestler's father added that he had levelled the sexual harassment charge against the WFI chief "out of anger" because his daughter had lost in the final of last year’s trials for the Asian Championship.
• However, the father confirmed that he has not withdrawn the earlier complaint and has only recorded fresh statements.
• The girl's father explained that the entire staff on match duty was from Delhi, and the opponent competitor also hailed from Delhi, which was illegal. He added that he had changed his statement and clarified that while some allegations were true, some were false. He spelt it out that Brij Bhushan had not sexually harassed his daughter, but his approach towards her was biased.
• He further revealed that he had gotten some threatening calls but was not willing to disclose their names. He stated that he had sold his house to bear his daughter’s expenses. He noted that he had re-recorded his statement without anyone’s influence.
• Furthermore, he said they do not harbour any grudges against the WFI chief. On June 5, he recorded a new statement in which he modified a few statements from earlier. He mentioned that he didn’t want to get involved in this fight because he was the father of a girl. He added that his daughter had faced some issues, but not all those mentioned in the FIR were true, and that they had levelled some false allegations in anger.
• The minor wrestler’s father also told the Hindustan Times that he and his daughter had been visiting a religious place and were away from New Delhi. The girl’s uncle had earlier claimed that the girl wasn’t a minor. The Delhi police have registered a second FIR based on the complaint filed by the girl’s father.
• Initially, when the girl recorded her statement to the magistrate on May 10, under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) against WFI chief Brij Bhushan. The girl's father then alleged in this complaint that Brij Bhushan had forcefully pulled his daughter towards him and sexually assaulted her. He claimed that she was disturbed by the incident and gradually started experiencing health issues.
• In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Olympian Sakshi Malikh said that there was huge pressure on them to compromise. She said that the "minor" wrestler who was among the seven women wrestlers accusing the WFI chief of sexual harassment was pressured to change her statement. Malikh accused Brij Bhusan of having his men call and threaten the wrestlers.
• Sakshi Malikh and Bajrang Puniya claimed that the "minor" wrestler’s father was depressed from being pressured to withdraw the complaint. Malikh also demanded the arrest and custodial interrogation of Brij Bhushan, as he is influential enough to derail the investigation and intimidate the wrestlers and witnesses. She stated that with him being outside, an impartial probe could not be conducted.

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