Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh: All you need to know about WFI president accused of sexually harassing female wrestlers

File image of WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh. Image: PTI

As many as 30 Indian wrestlers, including prominent names like Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, on Wednesday gathered at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly harassing and abusing female wrestlers. Singh who is currently Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Kaiserganj, however, denied the acquisition and told the news agency ANI that he will “hang himself” if any of these allegations come out to be true.

During the demonstration, star Indian athlete Vinesh Phogat alleged that some WFI-appointed coaches as well as the president had been sexually harassing women wrestlers at the national camps over the years. According to her, at least 10-12 female wrestlers have confessed to her that Singh had sexually assaulted them.

Must Read: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh refutes claims of sexual assault, says ‘wrestlers were pressured to sit on a dharna’

Phogat and other female athletes stated that they would boycott international competitions until Singh is ousted from his position as the WFI president. They also refused to end their protest until the government paid attention to their concerns. On Wednesday, the sports ministry summoned WFI in light of the accusations and requested it to submit its response within three days.

Who is Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh?

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, 65, has served as a member of parliament six times and has previously represented the Gonda, Kaiserganj, and Balrampur seats. With the 2009 election being the lone exception, when he briefly supported the Samajwadi Party, he won five of the elections on a BJP ticket. His son Prateek Bhushan Singh is currently the MLA for the Gonda Sadar seat, while his wife Ketki Devi Singh previously served as president of the Gonda Zila Panchayat.

Three-time WFI chief:

Singh has been the WFI President since 2011. In February 2019, he was appointed to the post for the third consecutive time. Previously, in 2021, he was caught on camera slapping a young wrestler at the Under-15 Nationals in Ranchi.

Political connection and previous charges:

A wrestler during his youth, Singh was one of the accused who were connected to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992. According to a Quint report, in the mid-90s, Singh was accused of harbouring Subhash Singh Thakur, Jayendra Thakur alias Bhai Thakur, Paresh Desai, and Shyam Kishore Garikapatti, all of whom were connected to the underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim. He was also charged with giving them access to his phone so they could call Dawood. Later, he was cleared of these allegations.

Singh has four lawsuits in Ayodhya and Gonda that are still unresolved, according to his election affidavit for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. He is accused of dacoity, attempt murder, and rioting, among other things.

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