WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh, booked under POCSO, says act being misused, will force govt to change law

WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh, booked under POCSO, says act being misused, will force govt to change law

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been booked under the POCSO Act, has alleged the law is being “misused on a large scale” and said “we will force the government to change” it.

He made the comments on Thursday at a meeting in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich regarding preparations for a rally of seers called by him in Ayodhya on June 5.

Brij Bhushan Singh, who is a BJP MP from Kaiserganj, is in the eye of the storm for allegedly sexually harassing women wrestlers, including a minor.

Top grapplers of the country, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, have been protesting against the WFI chief at Jantar Mantar in Delhi since April 23, and are demanding his arrest.

“This law is being misused against children, the elderly and seers. Even officials are not immune to its misuse,” the Kaiserganj MP claimed. “Under the leadership of seers, we will force the government to change the (POCSO) law,” he was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

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Two FIRs against the WFI chief have been registered by the Delhi Police. The first FIR pertains to the sexual harassment allegations by a minor wrestler against Brij Bhushan Singh for which he has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The second FIR is related to outraging modesty.

Regarding the June 5 Ayodhya rally, Brij Bhushan Singh claimed 11 lakh seers would participate in the gathering.

Brij Bhushan Singh reiterated that all the allegations levelled against him are false. The POCSO Act was brought by the Congress government without examining its various aspects, he said.

All activities of the wrestling federation have been cancelled by the Sports Ministry till the probe into the sexual harassment allegations of the grapplers against the WFI chief is completed.

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