Wrestlers meets Rajya Sabha MP and eminent lawyer Kapil Sibal at his residence in New Delhi on April 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday stated the wrestlers staging a protest in New Delhi demanding the arrest of the wrestling federation chief over sexual harassment expenses are dealing with the predicament of a defiant accused and “no arrests”, and puzzled whether or not there’s a “pliant investigation” into the matter.
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Mr. Sibal, a senior advocate, is representing the wrestlers within the Supreme Court.
In a tweet, he stated: “Protesting Wrestlers Predicament: A minor, 6 others traumatised, a defiant accused, a silent PMO, no arrests. A pliant investigation?” The Delhi Police filed two FIRs in opposition to Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Friday on allegations of sexual harassment levelled in opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP by seven girls wrestlers.
The first information reports (FIRs) were filed hours after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Police, advised the SC Bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha {that a} case shall be registered on Friday.
While the primary FIR pertains to the allegations of a minor wrestler and was registered below the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the second was associated to outraging the modesty of girls.
Several wrestlers who’ve introduced laurels for the nation from worldwide competitions have been protesting at Jantar Mantar, demanding that the federal government make public the findings of an oversight panel that investigated the sexual harassment expenses in opposition to Singh.
The wrestlers have asserted that they won’t depart the protest website till Singh is arrested. They resumed their sit-in final Sunday and demanded that the findings of the panel that probed the allegations be made public.