Wrestlers sexual harassment case: Delhi Police to record victims' statements

The Delhi Police has filed an application in the Rouse Avenue Court to record the statements, under the Code of Criminal Procedure's (CrPC) Section 164, of the remaining wrestlers, who have accused Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment.

As per sources, the recording of statements under Section 164 will commence from Friday.

The statement of the minor victim was recorded on Wednesday under Section 164.

The hearing in the case of wrestlers is also scheduled to take place in Rouse Avenue Court on Friday.

On Wednesday, the court had sought from the Delhi Police a status report pertaining to the sexual harassment case against Singh.

During the hearing, the judge had issued notice to police on protesting wrestlers' plea seeking monitoring of the investigation and recording of the statement of the alleged victims before the court.

Since April 23, prominent Indian wrestlers such as Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, who have achieved Olympic and World Championships recognition, have been staging a protest at Jantar Mantar against WFI chief.

Farmers have also extended their support to wrestlers and had arrived from Haryana and Punjab on Monday to join the wrestlers protest.

Last month, Delhi Police registered two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) against the WFI chief, based on sexual harassment allegations. The first FIR pertains to the accusations made by a minor and has been filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, along with relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code concerning the act of outraging modesty.

The second FIR focuses on comprehensive investigations into the complaints made by adult complainants and involves relevant sections of the IPC related to outraging of modesty.