The wrestler’s protest in Delhi is still one of the most talked about topic, with the latest news being that it has been put on hold after the government assured the wrestlers that it would investigate the sexual harassment and other claims against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief.
However, just before this, the protest saw a major twist coming in with the father of the minor who had registered a complaint of sexual harassment against Singh, made a U-turn and claimed that their allegations were false and took back their case.
Soon after though, Nirbhaya’s mother, Asha Devi, spoke out about how a second look was needed into this change especially the second statement that the minor had recorded.
What Is Nirbhaya’s Mother Saying?
Asha Devi speaking with India Today TV stated that “There should be a probe into why the minor girl changed her statement, whether she was pressured by anyone.”
Because this was a sexual offence case and furthermore under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, the statement recorded by the minor is confidential and sealed and thus it cannot be made certain what exactly was said in the second statement.
Asha Devi supported the protesting wrestlers and said that the case could be “sending out a wrong message” and added “If this is the state with the women who have won medals for the country, then what will happen to the girls in our cities and villages who are facing similar crimes?”
She commented “We have seen many such cases in Delhi where a court said the Delhi Police did not investigate properly. In this case, we need to find out why the minor changed her statement.”
Read More: Demystifier: Everything You Need To Know About The Wrestler’s Protest Against BJP MP And WFI President
What Is The Current News With The Minor’s Father?
Things came to a head on 8th June 2023 when the PTI news agency reported that the father of the minor had admitted himself to filing a false police complaint against the WFI chief because he was angry and wanted revenge on him because of an assumed injustice he thought done to his daughter.
This had actually been in the news for a few days now, but the claims were refuted by either the wrestlers protesting or even once the father himself, but then on Thursday, he gave proper statements to the media claiming his report was false and his daughter was not sexually harassed by Bhushan.
Apparently, the original matter came after the minor lost her final and missed the chance during trials to be selected in the Indian team for the 2022 Under-17 Asian Championship. The father blamed the referee’s decision and stated that for his child “one-year hard work had gone down the drain”.
He also said that “The match was against a Delhi wrestler. The UWW and WFI rules were not followed (in the bout). I have no grudge against the Delhi wrestler. She is also like my daughter but the referee who was also from Delhi deliberately defeated my daughter.”
He explained that his anger with Singh came because he showed alleged bias toward the referee saying “Who had deputed the referee? It was the federation. And who is the head of the federation? So who I will be angry with?”
The minor’s father said “You think that it’s just one bout and probably it does not matter. But it is hard work for one year. The kid who is making a comeback after undergoing spinal surgery and has worked hard, practicing for hours every day, knows the worth of that one bout. The father of the wrestler knows the value of that one bout. Because of that one bout, we missed out on four international tours and probably four medals.”
As per reports, this does weaken the case against Bhushan by quite a bit and now the case will go forward with the remaining two complaints.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature Image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: India Today, Livemint, Times of India
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This post is tagged under: wrestlers protest minor, Bajrang Punia, Bajrang Punia wrestler protest, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh wfi, Indian Olympic Association, indian Wrestler Protest, Sakshi Malik, vinesh phogat, Wrestlers protest, wrestlers protests delhi, wrestlers protests delhi police, wrestlers protests delhi police scuffle, wrestlers protests Jantar Mantar, Wrestling Federation
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