New Delhi: Delhi Police on Sunday (April 23) said that so far seven complaints have been received in a sexual harassment case involving women wrestlers. The police statement came after the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal issued a notice to Delhi Police for allegedly failing to register an FIR in a sexual harassment case involving women wrestlers.
According to the notice, the wrestlers have informed the Commission that they filed a written complaint with Delhi Police two days ago, but their FIR has yet to be registered.
‘Reply to DCW in 48 hours’
“Several women wrestlers of the country had given a complaint of sexual harassment against the WFI President at Connaught Place Police Station two days ago. One of the complainants is also a minor. Till now the Delhi Police has not registered an FIR in the matter, which is against the law. Have given notice to police, reply to DCW in 48 hours,” Maliwal tweeted along with the letter copy.
In her letter issued to the Delhi police, Swati Maliwal stated, “The complainant has informed the commission that several women wrestlers including a minor have alleged that the accused person has indulged in the crime of sexual harassment against them during his tenure at the Wrestling Federation of India.”
“The complainant has also informed the commission that a complaint in this regard was submitted by them at PS Connaught Place on 21.04.2023. She has further informed that no action has been taken by the SHO, Connaught Place on the complaint. She has also stated that…she was informed by him that no FIR has been filed and that action shall be taken on the complaint post Monday,” the DCW Chief's letter reads further.
Maliwal, in her letter, also stated, “She (the complainant) has further stated that when she asked him (SHO) for assurance that the FIR shall be filed by Monday, he answered that he could not guarantee the same.”
‘Delhi Police on DCW letter’
Meanwhile, Delhi Police in a reply to DCW said that they have received seven complaints and the FIR will be registered after concrete evidence comes to light. “Seven complaints have been received so far, some from Delhi and some from outside. Inquiry is being done into all the complaints. FIR will be registered after concrete evidence comes to light,” said Delhi Police.
Earlier this year, women wrestlers of the Wrestlers Federation of India had accused its president Brij Bhushan Sharma of sexual harassment. However, Sharma had denied the allegations levelled against him. “There has been no incident of sexual harassment. If such a thing has happened, then I will hang myself,” Brij Bhushan Sharan Sharma was quoted as saying by ANI.
Top Indian wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Ravi Dahiya, and Sakshi Malik, held a sit-in protest in Jantar Mantar in January this year, demanding that Brij Bhushan be removed from the head office and WFI be disbanded. They had accused the body and its chief of sexual harassment and mistreatment of wrestlers.
Protesting Wrestlers back in Delhi
They are back again at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar for a protest. Wrestler Vinesh Phogat slammed Delhi Police for refusing to file an FIR against Brij Bhushan Sharan. “It's been 3 months, and we haven't got justice, that's why we are protesting again. We demand justice, FIR has not been registered yet. We are grateful that DCW is supporting us,” said Wrestler Vinesh Phogat on DCW's notice to Delhi Police.
The Sports Ministry had already formed a five-member oversight committee, headed by legendary boxer MC Mary Kom on January 23 and asked it to submit its findings in one month. Later, it extended the deadline by two weeks and also added Babita Phogat to the probe panel as its sixth member on the insistence of the protesting wrestlers. The committee submitted its report in the first week of April, but the ministry is yet to make its findings public.
'Wrestlers will go to court to protest'
But earlier in April, Punia had said that the wrestlers will go to court to protest against the report of the oversight committee appointed to investigate on the matter and allegations put up by prominent Indian wrestlers against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh.
"I read an article in which one of the committee members said that the report has been supported to the Sports ministry without his signatures. The member also expressed his/her disagreement with the report. If a committee member is not involved in report submission and disagrees with the report, how are we supposed to trust it?” he told news agency ANI. "We were not even informed that the report was submitted to the ministry," he added.
Punia also said that WFI should make public the statements given by female wrestlers in a sting operation to a private TV channel if it feels it is innocent and also, people get to decide who is right to wrong.
(With agencies input)
Also Read: Wrestlers Protest Highlights: Players meet sports minister Anurag Thakur
