Brij Bhushan, who faces wrestlers' sexual assault charges, calls Manipur women paraded naked video ‘sad…’
The BJP MP was granted bail on Thursday in the alleged sexual harassment case filed against him by six women wrestlers.
Outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Saturday reacted to the viral video from Manipur which showed two Kuki women being disrobed and sexually assaulted by a mob of men and called it ‘sad'. Notably, the BJP MP was granted bail on Thursday in the alleged sexual harassment case filed against him by six women wrestlers.
Speaking to news agency ANI, he referred to similar incidents in the Opposition-ruled (Congress and TMC, respectively) states of Rajasthan and West Bengal and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken note of the Manipur video.
Follow Manipur violence LIVE updates
“Incidents happened in Rajasthan and West Bengal as well. So many people died during the elections...The situation in Manipur was difficult. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also camped there. This is a very sad incident which has happened in Independent India. Prime Minister has taken cognisance of the matter. He has also made remarks on the matter…" Singh said.
Read: 'Triumphant & jubilant': TMC's Mahua Moitra reacts to Brij Bhushan's Parliament photo
Ahead of Parliament’s monsoon session, Modi on Thursday expressed his concern in the ‘shameful’ incident and assured of action, the PM's first response on the ethnic clashes that have rocked the northeast state since May.
Speaking about the wrestlers’ protest demanding his arrest in the sexual assault case, the six-time MP said, “I had said in the beginning that this (wrestlers' protest) is because of the policy. Now videos of the affected players are coming, they are going to court, so you can understand what was the reason (behind the protest), now it has come in front of the country. Things are becoming clear now.”
On June 15, the Delhi Police filed a chargesheet against Singh and his aide Vinod Tomar under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Olympians Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, along with other wrestlers, had led a protest in Delhi earlier this year to press for action against Singh over allegations of sexual harassment.
Recommended Topics