The Supreme Court sent a notice to Delhi Police on Tuesday, demanding a first information report (FIR) against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party politician and Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradeshs Kaiserganj. The court judgement comes after a protest by a group of Indian wrestlers who accused Singh of sexually harassing female wrestlers.Brij Bhushan Singh had been the president of the Wrestling Federation of India since 2011 but resigned earlier this year when the charges against him were made public. Wrestlers allegedly accused the six-time Lok Sabha MP of physical abuse, dictatorial behaviour, and financial problems in WFI management.Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia have been organising a protest outside Delhis Jantar Mantar since Sunday. The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear the case on April 28. The wrestlers have gone on strike against Brij Bhushan Singh for the second time this year. The first protest occurred in January and was only resolved when the Sports Authority of India and the Indian Olympic Association intervened to investigate the claims directed against Brij Bhushan Singh. The sports ministry formed an oversight committee (OC) chaired by Olympian Mary Kom to investigate the problem and handle the WFIs day-to-day operations.Brij Bhushan Singh was urged to “step down” after the establishment of the OC. While he has recently remained silent, the MP previously disputed the claims against him, claiming they were politically driven. He had accused the demonstrators of being Congress pawns. The OC was expected to finish its investigation in four weeks, but it took nearly three months before it submitted its findings to the sports ministry. According to reports, the document was submitted around the first week of April. The ministry has given no indication of when its findings will be made public.What sparked a second protestAccording to media reports, the athletes claimed that they attempted to contact sports minister Anurag Thakur and representatives of the Olympic Committee but received no answer. According to Phogat and Punia, seven female wrestlers, one of whom is a juvenile, have filed a police case against Brij Bhushan Singh at Delhis Connaught Place police station. However, police officers have requested the OC report before filing an FIR.Who is Brij Bhushan Singh Brij Bhushan Singh began his political career in Gonda, UP, winning his first Lok Sabha seat in 1991 and then again in 1999. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Balrampur in 2004 and from Kaiserganj in 2009, 2014, and 2019. He always ran as a BJP candidate, with the exception of 2009, when he won on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Brij Bhushan Sharan SinghAccording to news reports, he was also involved with the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign. He has been the president of the WFI since 2011 and vice president of the Commonwealth Wrestling Committee. The MP, on the other hand, is no stranger to disputes and criminal accusations and has been alleged of causing intentional assault on a public servant, robbery, attempted murder, and illicit election payments.
