Wrestlers' protest: Minor 'in depression', father's life 'complete mess'

A few days after the 1500-page charge sheet was filed against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the father of the minor complainant has said that he was repeatedly intimidated and asked to take back his original statements.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the father of the minor said that the threats he received were from immediate family members and not from anyone linked to Brij Bhushan.

“I don’t know on whose behest they were threatening me. They offered me good money which I refused. Some of their threats were too violent. I can’t afford to fight such people as I have a family to look after,” he added, referring to the threats he had been receiving from his elder brother and father.

Acknowledging that many of his allegations were fabricated, he insisted that one of his complaints where he mentioned that the 66-year-old Singh made the minor uncomfortable was true.

Adding that he wanted the best for the protesting wrestlers, he said that all the allegations must be “thoroughly probed.”

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The 38-year-old told the publication that he had lost trust in the people around him and wished that he had not gotten himself into the situation which has made his life a “complete mess.”

This comes days after the father of the minor wrestler told PTI that they deliberately filed a false police complaint of sexual harassment against the WFI chief because they wanted to get back at him for the perceived injustice against the girl.

The minor, in her complaint, had alleged that the 66-year-old parliamentarian had tried to “forcefully make physical contact” with her.

Coming clean on the false allegations, the father of the minor said, “None of these incidents happened. No one asked me to cook them up either. I was angry due to biased refereeing at the Asian Championships trials in Lucknow where one such decision cost her the bout and ended her chances to make it to the Indian team.”

However, he stuck his ground on one of the incidents where Singh “pressed” the minor’s shoulder causing discomfort.

He confessed that the idea of levelling false allegations came to him ahead of the wrestlers' protest at Jantar Mantar. “I thought maybe by jumping on the bandwagon I will get justice. I cooked up the allegations and approached the wrestlers who supported me with all their heart,” he said.

“It was a case of good touch and bad touch, and such things are too tough to be proven in court. Barring this, every other statement on sexual harassment was fabricated,” he clarified.

He changed his mind on April 28 when police manhandled wrestlers marching to the Parliament building and he realised that he wouldn't be able to withstand such a situation. After this, he met with Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik and told them that the pressure was getting to him.

Soon, he left home with his daughter and went to live with his sister in Punjab. “It was getting too much for my daughter which is why I decided to take her out. She was slipping into depression. She started going quiet, her diet decreased, her weeping never stopped,” he said.

He added that his daughter is now seeing a psychologist, while his wife passes out quite often due to stress.

When he spoke to the wrestlers after giving a fresh statement, he said that none of them reacted with malice. "They thanked me profusely and pledged complete support even in future. They said they could imagine the pressure I was under,” he said.

Despite telling the wrestlers that he had fabricated charges, he told the publication that none of them lost their cool.

On Thursday, the minor tracked developments on the news making sure that her name was out of the case, and once she was sure of it, she told her father that she was ready to train.

Delhi Police on Thursday filed a final report before a court seeking cancellation of a sexual harassment case filed by a minor wrestler against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh. The police report claimed that no corroborative evidence was found in the allegations levelled by the minor. The court has put up the matter for further consideration on July 4.