Wrestlers in India have been vocal in their opposition to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the chief of the WFI, for more than a month. During this time, BJP MP Kapil Sibal has cast doubt on the PSCSO act and demanded an explanation as to why Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was not subject to an immediate arrest.
On Wednesday, Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Kapil Sibal criticised the government over the issue of allegations of sexual harassment levelled by women wrestlers against the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Sibal asked whether the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and immediate arrest apply to all accused parties other than Singh because Singh is a member of the BJP.
The attack by Sibal, a senior advocate who represented the protesting wrestlers in the Supreme Court, came a day after the matter escalated as the protesting wrestlers reached Haridwar on the banks of the Ganga. The wrestlers had threatened to immerse their World and Olympic medals in the holy river, but they refrained from doing so after being convinced by farmer leaders who sought five days to address their grievances. Sibal represented the protesting wrestlers in the Supreme Court.
Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, who won gold in the Asian Games, travelled to Har ki Pauri in order to voice their disapproval of the WFI’s failure to take action against its chief Singh, who is accused of sexually harassing a number of female grapplers. “Brij Bhushan Singh: Does the application of POCSO and immediate arrest after 164 statements apply to all accused other than Brij Bhushan because he: 1) Belongs to BJP? “, Sibal said in a tweet directed at Brij Bhushan Singh. 2) Iconic women wrestlers are irrelevant; what matters are the fans’ votes. 3) The government is indifferent to the issue. Sibal questioned whether or not this was his “new India.”
Sibal, who served as a minister in the Union government throughout both the UPA 1 and UPA 2 regimes, resigned from the Congress in May of the previous year and was subsequently elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the support of the Samajwadi Party. He has just recently proposed the non-electoral platform known as “Insaaf,” which aims to combat injustice. A month ago, Singh was the subject of two separate First Information Reports filed by the Delhi Police.
The first First Information Report (FIR) has been filed in accordance with the POCSO Act as well as relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code relating outraging modesty. This FIR was initiated as a result of claims made by a youngster. The second one was filed because of complaints made by adults about how the first one violated their modesty. On May 28, the Delhi Police apprehended Malik along with Vinesh, who had won bronze at the world championships, and Bajrang, who had won a medal at the Olympics. The police later filed FIRs against the wrestlers for violating law and order in the city.