A day after the father of the minor wrestler admited to filing a false police complaint of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, an international referee has corroborated the allegations levelled by the adult wrestlers against the WFI chief.
In the FIR registered by six adult wrestlers narrating several alleged instances of sexual harassment, inappropriate touching, groping, stalking and intimidation by Singh, one complainant said that in March last year, as the team posed for a photograph at the end of the trials in Lucknow for the Asian Championships, the WFI chief “placed his hands on [her] buttocks” after which she tried to move away.
As per an Indian Express report, international wrestling referee Jagbir Singh, who was standing in the vicinity of the incident when it occurred, corroborated the wrestler’s allegations in his testimony to the Delhi Police.
Speaking to the publication, Jagbir Singh referred to the photograph and said that the Delhi Police had asked him about it.
Detailing what he remembered from that day, Jagbir said he saw Brij Bhushan standing next to the complainant. After a while, "she freed herself, pushed away, mumbled and moved away", he told IE.
"She was standing next to the president, but then came to the front. I saw how this woman wrestler was reacting and she was uncomfortable. Uske saath kuchh galat hua (Something wrong happened to her). I didn’t see him doing the act but uske haath pair khoob chalte the, idhar aa ja. Idhar khadi ho ja (He used to keep touching the wrestlers saying come here, come and stand here),” Jagbir said.
"From [the complainant’s] behaviour, it was clear something wrong happened that day [during the photo session],” Jagbir said.
Singh is among over 200 people whose statements have been recorded by the Delhi Police in connection with the case.
The Delhi Police will file a chargesheet in the case by June 15, as per the assurance Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has given to the protesting wrestlers. The wrestlers, meanwhile, have agreed to halt their protest till then.