Protesting Wrestlers Meet Amit Shah, Demand Strong Chargesheet Against WFI Chief

Protesting wrestlers Sakshi Malik & Bajrang Punia met Home Minister Amit Shah at his official residence on Saturday.

Protesting wrestlers (L-R) Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat addressing the press. 

(Photo: PTI)

Protesting wrestlers met Home Minister Amit Shah at his official residence on Saturday, 3 June, to press forward with their demands for the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Singh over sexual harassment allegations against him

This comes days after the wrestlers threatened to throw their medals into the Ganga river and gave a five-day ultimatum to the Centre to arrest Singh.

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik along with several coaches are said to have attended the meeting, which lasted for around two hours and ended after midnight.

"We had a meeting with the Home Minister. I can’t comment further," Bajrang was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

During the meeting, the status of the probe into the charges against Singh was the main issue discussed. The wrestlers also pressed for a strong chargesheet to be filed at the earliest, according to The Indian Express.

Two FIRs have been filed against Singh so far, based on complaints of seven woman wrestlers. Some of the key allegations mentioned include demanding sexual favours, inappropriate touching, multiple instances of molestation — including groping, pulling up t-shirts, touching navel and buttock, sliding hands over breasts — and use of blackmail and intimidation tactics such as stalking to silence the players.

The two FIRs — accessed by The Quint — are registered under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

One FIR, based on the complaint of a minor's father, also invokes section 10 of the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which entails five to seven years of imprisonment.

(With inputs from The Indian Express.)