POCSO case against Brij Bhushan: Delhi Police submits 550-page cancellation report citing ‘no evidence’

On April 28, the father of the 17-year-old minor wrestler lodged a complaint against Singh for alleged sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation. However, on June 5, she retracted her allegations.

The Delhi police requested the court to withdraw the case against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on the basis of “no evidence” in the matter. (PTI photo)

Written by: Jignasa Sinha

3 min readNew DelhiJun 16, 2023 11:04 AM IST First published on: Jun 16, 2023 at 11:04 AM IST

In its 550-page cancellation report submitted to the court on Thursday, the Delhi Police stated that BJP MP and outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh did not sexually harass or assault the minor wrestler who earlier lodged a complaint against him, said officials. The police also requested the court to withdraw the case on the basis of “no evidence” in the matter.

On April 28, the father of the 17-year-old minor wrestler lodged a complaint against Singh for alleged sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation. The FIR mentions several incidents of inappropriate touching, harassment, molestation and intimidation. However, on June 5, the girl retracted her allegations before the magistrate.

The cancellation report mentions the minor’s birth certificates and her age. The police said there was confusion over the minor’s age (whether she was a minor or not) and they received almost three birth certificates with her name. “We have found the original one and used it in the report,” said a senior police officer.

The Delhi Police said the final report of the case states that the offences mentioned in the original complaint “didn’t occur” and there is no evidence to prove them. on Thursday, the Delhi Police also filed a chargesheet against Singh and his associate Vinod Tomar on sexual harassment, stalking and abetment charges. The police said the chargesheet, which is prepared on the basis of the statements of six women wrestlers, has supporting evidence against Singh.

Also read | Wrestlers’ protest timeline: With chargesheet against Brij Bhushan likely today, a look at what has happened so far

“In the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) case (involving the minor wrestler), we also tried to speak to other wrestlers, coaches and referees to corroborate the minor’s allegations. Since a few of the allegations/incidents are from last year, we also analysed the call detail records. However, no evidence came in support of her allegations. The same has been mentioned in the cancellation report,” said an officer.

More than 20 witnesses were examined and their testimonies have been recorded in the report. The police said details of call records, photos and videos from tournaments and events have also been mentioned in the report.

The police also used the minor’s and her father’s fresh statements before the magistrate to show that the allegations in the FIR were false. “The minor and her father retracted their allegations and said the incident didn’t occur. This all happened in front of the magistrate. It is now up to the court to decide what has to be done. We have given our report within the deadline,” added the officer.

# Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh