'Brij Bhushan roams free', 'minor girl's father under lot of pressure': Bajrang Punia

Punia said that if the chargesheet in the case is not filed by June 15 as assured by the government, the wrestlers will go for a bigger protest.

Sonipat (Haryana): Olympian Bajrang Punia has said that the father of the minor girl who changed his statement in the sexual harassment case against WFI chief Birj Bhushan Singh had said that he "was under a lot of pressure" and that the entire family was "in depression". In an interview with ANI, Bajrang Punia who has been a key face of wrestlers' protest against the WFI chief, said "if a person is under pressure, he can be made to say things".

He said that if the chargesheet in the case is not filed by June 15 as assured by the government, the wrestlers will go for a bigger protest. Punia said he will not comment on the minor changing her statement before the magistrate or her father's remarks.

"The minor wrestler's father has said that he was under a lot of pressure from all sides, that his family is under pressure. Media didn't show this part.. it only showed that the statement has been withdrawn but not the reason why it was done. If people like Brij Bhushan will roam outside, it will definitely do (exert pressure)...Her (minor) father has said that he is under pressure and that the entire family is in depression. He said if something happens to him, who will bring back the father (of the girl)? People can be made to say anything under pressure," Punia told ANI.

He said if the girl is minor or not the details can be given only by her family but irrespective of that "if something wrong has happened with her, that's bad".

"Only her family members can only provide the exact details if the girl is a minor or not. The sad part is that fake news is being circulated that wrestlers are compromising with ministers...We have met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. The government assured the wrestlers that our demands will be heard. If necessary, we will protest after 15th June and none of the wrestlers will resume their government duties after we start our protest. If we do not resume our protest, all the wrestlers will get back to their government jobs," he added.

He alleged that the Police took a woman wrestler to Brij Bhushan's house as part of its investigation. "It seems as if the police are trying to scare the girls. They took the woman wrestler to Brij Bhushan's house for investigation. When the wrestler asked, the police said that there is no one inside. Later, we got to know that Brij Bhushan was in his house only. It should not have been done. It is a matter of concern for us as well," he said.

Delhi Police had said on Friday that the female wrestler was taken to the Wrestling Federation of India office. The father of a minor wrestler had told a television channel that he has "corrected" the statement in connection with the case against Brij Bhushan Singh and he had filed a false complaint against him "out of anger".

Referring to Panchayat held in Sonipat on Saturday, he said it was called by the wrestlers and they informed Khap members about our meeting with the Ministers. "If our demands are not fulfilled, we will resume our protest after 15th June...The government has assured us that the chargesheet will be filed before 15th June and that Brij Bhushan and his associates will not become a member of WFI," he said.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had said on Thursday that the talks with protesting wrestlers were positive and decisions were taken on various demands. He said there was not only discussion on their demands but decisions was also taken.

"It was a very positive discussion with the agitating wrestlers. All the issues that came from their side were discussed seriously. We have said that the chargesheet will be filed by June 15 and the Wrestling Federation of India's elections will be held by June 30. For the players, the Internal Complaint Committee will be formed and a woman player or an official will be made its chairperson," Thakur told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

He said that the names of two coaches have also been proposed by wrestlers for the ad-hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). "They will be made its members," he said. Thakur said that the wrestlers conveyed that they will apprise their supporters about the talks. "We also want the players to return to the mat soon and participate in competitions ahead," he said.

The wrestlers had met Anurag Thakur on Wednesday following a fresh offer by the government for talks. Delhi Police is conducting a probe into the sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP MP, following the registration of FIR. (ANI)