After POCSO Case Closure, Brij Bhushan Calls For Curb On ‘Misuse’ Of Sexual Harassment Laws

Ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Sing said this as he held a massive show of strength in Ayodhya on Tuesday, drawing thousands of supporters and over a thousand SUVs to the city.

File photo of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Source : PTI

Ayodhya, May 27 (PTI): A day after a Delhi court closed a sexual harassment case under the POCSO Act against him, former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and ex-BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Tuesday demanded that the Centre find a way to "stop the misuse" of sexual harassment laws.

He stressed that this was not about abolishing the law, but about reviewing its implementation.

Singh said this as he held a massive show of strength in Ayodhya on Tuesday, drawing thousands of supporters and over a thousand SUVs to the city.

The ex-WFI chief, who arrived at the Ayodhya airport to a grand welcome, led a cavalcade that moved through the temple town, causing long traffic jams on the third 'Bada Mangal' of the month -- a day of major religious significance in the region.

Addressing the media in Ayodhya, Singh said, "I have great faith in Lord Hanuman and in myself. When the allegations were made on January 18, 2023, I said it was a lie, and everything I said has been proven true." "Sections on preventing harassment are being misused today. I have great faith in the judiciary," he said.

Referring to his previous public statement that he would hang himself if found guilty, Singh said, "I had said that if the charges are proven, I will hang myself. What I said has been proven. I am grateful to the judiciary." Singh also alleged that laws intended to protect women, Dalits, and victims of dowry harassment were being misused. "I'm not against such laws. They are important but there is a growing trend of using them to ruin lives and settle personal scores," he said.

"From the sacred land of Ayodhya, I demand that the government find a way to stop the misuse of sexual harassment laws. This is not about abolishing the law, but about reviewing its implementation." Singh also commented on the wrestlers who accused him, saying, "Those athletes used to call me the god of wrestling. They would visit my home, and I attended their weddings and family functions." His remarks come in the wake of a Delhi court's order on Monday accepting a closure report filed by the police in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The complaint was initially filed by the father of a minor wrestler but was later withdrawn after he made a startling claim midway through the probe that he had made a false complaint of sexual harassment against Singh to get back at him for perceived injustice to the girl.

While Singh has been cleared in the POCSO case, he continues to face trial in another court on charges of sexual harassment, stalking, and criminal intimidation filed by six other women wrestlers. He has pleaded not guilty. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)