Brij Bhushan has knocked on the door of the Delhi High Court to seek an FIR against leading wrestlers in the country, including Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik.
New Delhi: Brij Bhushan, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, was asked last week to step aside until the probe against him is finished.
He has knocked on the door of the Delhi High Court to seek an FIR against leading wrestlers in the country, including Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, regarding “extortion and blackmailing,” as they alleged sexual assault against him.
All the happenings took place days after a mega protest staged by the top wrestlers at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, and they garnered gigantic support from the common people. The sit-in dharna was called off following the intervention by the central government. The hearing in this case is expected to occur this week.
Bhushan, in his plea, blasted Vinesh Phogat for extorting and blackmailing him so that he can resign from the president’s post of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on the pretext of sexual harassment allegations made by the wrestlers.
The plea stated that the media entirely ignores the crucial difference between the guilty and innocent parties by upholding the tenets of “guilt beyond a reasonable doubt” and “presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.” The petition, which also mentions several media organisations, also names other wrestlers like Sangeeta Phogat, Suman Malik, Anshu Malik, and Bajrang Punia in the plea.
On Sunday, the WFI’s annual meeting in Uttar Pradesh, where Bhushan was scheduled to speak, was postponed. He said that all allegations against him are baseless.
Meanwhile, the central government has suspended all WFI activities.
“The Center has heard from all parties about the accusations made against WFI. A wrestling tournament that was scheduled to take place was immediately suspended, and a secretary was fired as well. “Apart from this, an oversight committee was formed to begin an impartial probe into the matter,” Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur told reporters on Sunday.
