Delhi Police records statement of WFI chief Brij Bhushan

The Delhi Police has recorded the statement of Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in connection with the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by the female wrestlers against him, officials said on Thursday.

Police have also recorded the statement of the WFI's assistant secretary Vinod Tomar.

Last month, the Delhi Police registered two FIRs against Singh.

The first FIR pertains to allegations levelled by a minor which has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act along with relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code concerning outraging modesty. The second one has been registered over complaints by adults pertaining to outraging of modesty.

A notice was sent to Singh asking him to join the investigation. He was questioned for nearly three hours in connection with the allegations of sexual harassment against him, a senior police officer said.

Singh, who is also a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, has been so far been questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). In both instances he denied the allegations and claimed that he was being "falsely implicated" in the case, the officer said.

The WFI chief has been asked to submit documents or proof to support his claims, he added.

The police said Singh will be interrogated further as statements of 30 witnesses have been recorded so far and more are to be documented.

"We have also received the report of the oversight committee formed to probe the complaints of sexual harassment against the Wrestling Federation of India chief," a police official said.  

As part of the ongoing investigation into the case, several teams of the Delhi Police were sent to the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Haryana to record statements and collect evidence.

So far, only the statement of a minor who has accused Singh of sexually harassing her has been recorded before the magistrate.

"Soon, statements of the remaining six female wrestlers will also be recorded before the magistrate," the officer said.

Police have, however, recorded the statements of all seven female complainants, including the minor, under CrPC section 161.

On Friday, the Delhi Police informed a special court in New Delhi that an SIT has been constituted to probe the cases.

The submission was made before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal in response to the court's earlier order directing the police to file a status report.

Public prosecutor Atul Srivastava told the court that a status report has been filed in the matter in a sealed cover and requested that it must not be shared with anyone considering the nature of the case.

Following the submission, the court posted the matter for further hearing on May 27.

The judge had issued notice to the Delhi Police on a plea moved by the wrestlers seeking monitoring of the investigation and recording of the statement of the alleged victims before the court.

Several wrestlers have been on a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since April 23 demanding strict action against the Wrestling Federation of India chief. Even farmers have joined the protest to express solidarity with them.