Tribune Press Service
Vinayak Padmadeo
New Delhi, 6 June
Written testimonies filed by two female wrestlers in a sexual harassment complaint against WFI President Brij Bhushan Charan Singh show some inconsistencies in their claims in the FIRs provided to Delhi Police, sources from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) say.
It should be noted that only two of the seven plaintiffs submitted affidavits.
The burden is on the investigator
It is the IO’s responsibility to investigate allegations. In the event of a conflict, the IO has various options, such as asking for clarification from the complainant, recording a statement, or investigating both or either version to find out the truth. Parth Goswami, Professional
There are some discrepancies in the signals and FIR data for at least two of the wrestlers. Wrestling1, in an affidavit to the IOA, said that on October 15, 2017, he was summoned to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) office — which is Brij Bhushan’s official headquarters in Delhi — to explain to the disciplinary committee why. He missed an international tournament.
According to her affidavit, WFI Deputy Secretary Vinod Tomar asked her to come to Brij Bhushan’s office alone. After she was reprimanded for an anti-union tweet, Brij Bhuchan reportedly sat next to her. “…as he sat next to me, his tone changed as he began to reassure me that no harm would befall me. While he was reassuring me, he kept touching me inappropriately on my palms, knees, thighs, and shoulders…” the complainant said in the affidavit filed with the IOA Board of Inquiry.
By the way, October 15, 2017 was a Sunday and the WFI office was closed on Sunday.
In the FIR, the same complainant cited 16 October 2017 as the date of the accident.
In another case, the same plaintiff in her affidavit narrates an incident that took place in Turkey during an Olympic qualification in 2015. In the affidavit, she stated that Brij Bhushan “raised his hand on my chest and lowered it 3 or 4 times. He noticed my shock, and said he was checking my breath.” ..”
In the FIR, the wrestler does not mention Turkey but claims this incident occurred in Mongolia in 2016.
In another mismatch, she alleged that Tomar insulted and mentally harassed her in front of several people at the WFI office in New Delhi, prior to the 2022 Commonwealth Games trials. However, in the FIR, he claimed that the incident occurred at Tomar’s residence in Paschim Vihar, Delhi.
In an affidavit, Wrestler 2 claims Brij Bhushan touched her inappropriately during the Asian Youth Championships in Kazakhstan in 2012.
“WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh picked my father up from his phone and made me speak to my father. However, after the call ended, he kissed me without my consent or permission. I was not comfortable with the physical advances and he did not like me… I left the room and did not talk about this incident with anyone because I was a young wrestler whose career was just beginning.
On FIR, she said she told two people about it – her mom and a top wrestler, Anita.
#Brig Bhushan Sharan Singh
#Indian Olympic Association IOA
