Vinesh Phogat of India reacts after winning the 50kg women’s wrestling semi-final match against Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba at the Paris 2024 Olympics. REUTERS
Top Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Thursday said that the Delhi police has withdrawn the security of the women wrestlers who are set to testify against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a Delhi court.
Vinesh and several other wrestlers including her cousin sister Sangeeta Phogat, who is wife of Bajrang Punia, had accused Brij Bhushan of sexual exploitation.
The Delhi police had lodged an FIR and then filed a chargesheet against the BJP leader in the case. The next hearing in the case is on Friday.
जिन महिला पहलवानों की बृजभूषण के ख़िलाफ़ कोर्ट में गवाहियाँ होने वाली हैं, दिल्ली पुलिस ने उनकी सुरक्षा हटा ली है @DelhiPolice @DCWDelhi @NCWIndia
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) August 22, 2024
“Delhi Police has withdrawn the security of the women wrestlers who are going to testify against Brij Bhushan in the court,” Vinesh tweeted and tagged @DelhiPolice and Delhi and National commissions of women.
Vinesh had reached the Paris Olympic final but was disqualified from the Games for being overweight ahead of the gold medal bout.
Court asks police to reinstate security of female wrestler who accused ex-WFI chief of sexual harassment
A Delhi court directed the city police on Thursday to immediately reinstate the security of a female wrestler who has accused former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot passed the interim order, noting that the wrestler has to appear before the court on Friday to get her statement recorded in the matter.
The court was hearing applications filed by senior advocate Rebecca John for three wrestlers, claiming that their security was withdrawn on Wednesday night.
The court directed police to file a detailed report by Friday regarding the reasons for the withdrawal of the applicants’ security.
“In the meantime, as an interim measure to ensure the safety of the complainant/victim no.4 (as per the list of witnesses), the DCP concerned is directed to make immediate and appropriate arrangements for her security until her deposition is complete and until further orders from this court. Accordingly, let a notice be issued to the DCP concerned with a direction to file a compliance report on the next date,” the magistrate said and posted the matter for Friday.
