In a startling development that has come a day after the protesting wrestlers announced a halt to their agitation against BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh for sexually harassing the women wrestlers, the father of a minor wrestler has apparently admitted that he has filed a false sexual harassment complaint against the BJP MP. 

The admission from the father came as a shock to the wrestlers as it has weakened the case and protest against Brij Bhushan Singh, who is a six-time BJP MP and has a grim record as a parliamentarian. It was the plaint from the minor's father that pushed the Delhi police to invoke a case against Singh under Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. 

Though the POCSO Act warrants an immediate arrest of the accused, Brij Bhushan Singh was neither arrested nor a strong probe was initiated. The wrestling champions including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Dunia had held staunch protests for months in Delhi with a demand to arrest Brij Bhushan Singh for sexually harassing the women wrestlers. However, the admission from the minor's father that he has filed a false complaint against the BJP MP came as a twister to the tale. 

In the midst of protests, the wrestlers had held talks with two Union Ministers within a week concerning their demands. Last Saturday, they met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and held a late-night meeting with their demand to arrest the BJP MP. However, as Amit Shah and the BJP regime have remained tight-lipped when it came to the demand of the wrestlers, Amit Shah told them that the law will take its own course. 

Most recently, the wrestlers had met Union Minister of Sports Anurag Thakur and their discussion lasted for six hours. During the meeting, the minister has requested the wrestlers to withdraw their protest till police complete its investigation by June 15. After the meeting, the wrestlers have announced they will suspend their protests till June 15 on government's request and asserted that if nothing happened on their demand, they will launch protests after June 15. 

While the wrestlers affirmed that their movement is not over yet, it appears that it has now skewed after the startling statement from the minor's father. According to The Hindu, the father of the minor's wrestler said he had deliberately filed a false case against BJP MP Brij Bhushan due to anger. Though he claimed that he deliberately filed a false case, he, however, ironically said that he was threatened by people whose names he couldn't reveal and his family is living in intense fear. 

The father of the minor wrestler told PTI on why he is changing the story, "It's better that truth comes out now instead of court. Now that interactions have started, the government has promised a fair enquiry into my daughter's defeat last year (in Asian U17 championship trails), so it is also my duty that I rectify my mistake." His version of story gave a new patina on why he came against Brij Bhushan Singh, whom he strongly slammed earlier in his complaint that the latter has harassed his daughter. 

Now, the father of the minor wrestler gave an explanation about a grudge he had against Brij Bhushan. In 2022, his daughter lost the final of the Under 17 championship in Lucknow and missed out a berth in the Indian team. His father blamed the referee's wrong decision and claimed Brij Bhushan Singh's foulplay behind the wrong decision. "I was filled with rage my child's one-year hard work had gone down the drain because of that referee's decision in final and I decided to take revenge", the father of the minor wrestler added. 

He further said that he complained about the discrimination meted out to his daughter in the finals to the Wrestling Federation and claimed that nobody heard him. "I felt disheartened and I was angry and why shouldn't I be? Mr Singh was biased against her, I had to sell my house to train my daughter. We only had three options - to get her married, educated or get her into sports. Now, we don't know what her future will be." 

Earlier, there were multiple reports stating that the minor girl had withdrawn her complaint. Responding to such reports, her father said that they have recorded a fresh statement in which he denied that Singh had sexually harassed her daughter and that the complaint against Singh under the grounds of discrimination wasn't taken back. He said, "We haven't taken back any complaint, we have just recorded another statement before the magistrate on June 5, where we have alleged that he discriminated against her when it came to wrestling, and he didn't sexually harass her." 

Another version of his story 

Despite giving explanation about his fury against Brij Bhushan Singh for the discrimination meted out for his daughter, the father of the minor wrestler gave another version of the story on why he has changed the statement now. He said that he was living in fear and was threatened. Speaking to The Hindu, he said, "I have to face the society and the people, I was threatened by people, whose names I can't reveal, my family is living in intense fear." 

By citing that he will continue to stand with the wrestlers, the father of the minor wrestler said what happened to the women is wrong. He further admitted that, "The police complaint that we have given, is somewhat true and partly false and we have cleared everything that is right and wrong." As his change of statement has come a day after the wrestlers had suspended their protests, it has largely weakened the sexual harassment case against Brij Bhushan Singh and has become a huge setback for the wrestlers. 

What was in his complaint? 

The father of the minor was among the complainants who had complained against Brij Bhushan Singh, that invoked two FIRs against him. One of the FIRs was filed under POCSO Act, based on his complaint. The FIR on his complaint was filed on April 28 and it also attracted the sections 354, 354(A), 354(D), and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. In his complaint, the father claimed that Brij Bhushan Singh had touched his daughter inappropriately. 

He also had alleged that the BJP MP has forcefully pulled her daughter towards him and molested her. The minor's father further said that when his daughter refused to cooperate with Brij Bhushan Singh, the latter threatened to curb her chances for the Asian Championship and stated that Singh had called his daughter to his room to initiate forceful physical contact. By citing that the WFI is totally under the control of the accused, the minor's father said that he can't remain silent anymore as what his daughter faced continues to haunt her. However, he has now twisted the tale by claiming that Brij Bhushan didn't sexually harass her daughter and that he has filed a false complaint against him.