On Thursday, the Delhi Police filed the complaint against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. On June 22, the court will hear it. The Indian Express reported that photographic evidence of at least four of the six women wrestlers and video evidence in at least three instances of alleged sexual harassment are used to support the roughly 1500-page charge sheet filed against Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment and stalking.
Out of the more than 200 witness statements that were recorded as part of the inquiry, the news agency PTI earlier reported, citing sources, that only statements that were pertinent to and supported the claims made by the victims were included in the charge sheet. Only 100 witnesses’ comments were found to be pertinent to the case, and even then, only a very small number of those accounts supported the claims made by the victims.
The charge sheet was submitted by the Delhi Police on Thursday. On June 22, the court will hear it.
Six wrestlers’ combined testimony, statements from 70–80 witnesses, and other technical pieces of evidence, such as photos, videos, and call detail records, make up the charge sheet. According to reports, the police have used photographic and video evidence to confirm and corroborate the complaints.
According to a senior police official, since the six wrestlers’ complaints included many events, they have listed each complaint separately in the charge sheet. The police have presented supporting witnesses, images, or videos for each complaint. Four of the six complaints include photographic evidence that is attached.
Photos from award ceremonies, gatherings, and other events were used as proof. According to the police officer, many of the alleged instances mentioned in the complaints are from the WFI headquarters, competitions, camps, and events.
According to a police source, “all six of the female complainants in the case taped detailed statements, and we have gathered supporting evidence in the form of call details records (available from last year), photos, and videos that are part of the charge sheet.”
A supplementary charge sheet will be filed as and when new witnesses and material pertinent to the case are obtained, who also noted that statements from co-participants, tournament referees, and eyewitnesses are included in the charge sheet.
Since the young complainant recanted her testimony before a magistrate, the police apparently also filed a cancellation report in the POCSO Act case against Brij Bhushan in the interim.Removing the FIR that was filed against the wrestlers
In relation to the commotion at Jantar Mantar on May 28, the Delhi Police will petition the court to have the FIR against the wrestlers dismissed.
Olympians Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia have been protesting in the nation’s capital since the beginning of this year in support of Brij Bhushan’s arrest over charges of sexual harassment.
Anurag Thakur, the sports minister, assured wrestlers of this during their meeting on June 7.
The Delhi Police has also written to the wrestling federations of five other countries as part of the investigation, requesting information about the alleged sexual harassment occurrences by Singh. Their response is pending. The sources stated that the charge sheet will also include the details whenever these are obtained.
The notices were sent asking for pictures, videos, and CCTV footage of the competitions and the hotels where the wrestlers stayed while competing.
Read Also: WFI Chief Booked For Sexual Harassment But Minor’s Charges Dropped: Delhi Police
