WFI sexual harassment case: Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has been the epicentre of an ongoing protest led by star wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Serious allegations including corruption and sexual harassment were levelled by the top players against Singh.
Triple Commonwealth Games medalist Vinesh Phogat along with top wrestlers, including Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, Rio Olympics medallist Sakshi Malik, world championship medallist Sarita Mor, Sangeeta Phogat, Satyawart Malik, Jitender Kinha, and CWG medallist Sumit Malik are among wrestlers who came up and staged a protest against the federation. Despite strong outrage against the WFI president, he did not resign and claimed there was a conspiracy against him. Now, the question is who is Brij Bhushan Sharan and why is a delay in action against him? Probably, his political background is the shield. He is a heavyweight politician from Uttar Pradesh.
ALSO READ | Wrestlers Protest against WFI | Updates
Here are the highlights about Singh
- Singh has been in charge of the WFI for nearly a decade. The 66-year-old was elected unopposed as the WFI president for the third time in 2019.
- He started his career in student politics in the 1980s and joined BJP in 1988. During the Ram temple movement, he hogged the limelight for his aggressive campaigns.
- Singh was named along with BJP veteran LK Advani in Babri mosque demolition case.
- According to myneta.info site, he possesses assets worth around Rs 10 crore.
- Singh is a six-time MP and currently a member of parliament from Kaiserganj, Uttar Pradesh.
- In 1991, he was elected as Lok Sabha MP from Gonda constituency in UP on BJP ticket.
- He was named in several criminal cases. One charge was related to causing the disappearance of evidence of the offence, or giving false information to screen offender (IPC Section-201) and one was a charge related to dacoity (IPC Section-395)- ADR data.
- In 2021 ahead of the assembly election, he hired a helicopter for the poll campaign at the rate of Rs 85,000 crore per hour.
- According to the media reports, he later bought a helicopter becoming perhaps only a few politicians who own a private chopper.
- In 2021, he landed in a controversy after he slapped a wrestler on the stage during the first round of the Under-15 National Wrestling Championship at Shaheed Ganpat Rai Indoor Stadium.
- Singh was re-elected in 1999 from Gonda constituency In 2004, he was re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha from Balrampur constituency.
- In July 2008, Singh joined the Samajwadi Party and was elected from Kaiserganj constituency in 2009.
- Later, he re-joined BJP months before the Lok Sabha election 2014.
