Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who led the protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and ex-BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, reacted sharply after a Delhi court closed a sexual harassment case under the POCSO Act against him. The complaint was initially lodged by the father of a minor wrestler and later withdrawn midway during the probe. The complainant then made a startling claim, stating that the accusations was intended to get back at the ex-WFI chief for perceived injustice towards the girl.
Bajrang was the first between the two to react, stating that Brij Bhushan held a massive road show following the fresh orders but reminded that six other cases against him are still pending in the court. Bajrang wrote a lengthy post in Hindi, in which he also claimed that while the protests were underway the minor had backed out after constant pressure from Brij Bhushan. The Olympic medallist also mentioned that the former wrestling chief is doing the same with other six women wrestlers.
"After being acquitted in the POCSO Act, Brij Bhushan Singh is doing road shows and showing his victory, while the cases of 6 women wrestlers are still going on in the court. When the women wrestlers were on strike, at the same time, the minor women wrestler backed out under pressure from Brij Bhushan even though she had once testified against Brij Bhushan.
"Brij Bhushan is still pressurizing the remaining 6 female wrestlers to withdraw their cases. Because he might be feeling like showing his power by making the victims of sexual harassment bow down and organizing a road show again.
"Many times it seems that even today the law is dwarf in front of the goons," Bajarang's post read when translated into English.
Vinesh also reacted to the court's order and shared her views by reposting Bajarang's post on X. She shared a popular poem, which when translated into English read:
"The army is yours, the leader is yours too,
You write lies as truth, the newspaper is also yours!
If we were to complain about this, where would we go?
The government is yours, the governor is also yours!!”
Meanwhile, as reported by PTI, Brij Bhushan demanded that the Centre find a way to "stop the misuse" of sexual harassment laws. He stressed that this was not about abolishing the law, but about reviewing its implementation.
Singh also held a massive show of strength in Ayodhya on Tuesday, as thousands of supporters assembled and over a thousand SUVs drove to the city.
The ex-WFI chief arrived at the Ayodhya airport to a grand welcome, following which he led a cavalcade that moved through the temple town.
Addressing the media in Ayodhya, Singh said: "I have great faith in Lord Hanuman and in myself. When the allegations were made on January 18, 2023, I said it was a lie, and everything I said has been proven true. Sections on preventing harassment are being misused today. I have great faith in the judiciary," he said.
Referring to his previous public statement that he would hang himself if found guilty, Singh said: "I had said that if the charges are proven, I will hang myself. What I said has been proven. I am grateful to the judiciary." Singh also alleged that laws intended to protect women, Dalits, and victims of dowry harassment were being misused. "I'm not against such laws. They are important but there is a growing trend of using them to ruin lives and settle personal scores.
"From the sacred land of Ayodhya, I demand that the government find a way to stop the misuse of sexual harassment laws. This is not about abolishing the law, but about reviewing its implementation."
Singh also commented on the wrestlers who accused him, saying: "Those athletes used to call me the god of wrestling. They would visit my home, and I attended their weddings and family functions."
-with PTI inputs
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