After accusing and alleging the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh of sexual harassment and stalking in a couple of statements, the lone minor among the seven wrestlers has withdrawn her complaints, according to media reports. According to various reports, the 17-year-old has now given a fresh statement before the magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The statement is considered evidence in court. This statement may imply that it will be up to the Court to decide whether the charges can be pursued, and that a trial will determine which assertion under 164 takes precedence. As per the FIR registered earlier, she was “completely disturbed and cannot be at peace anymore …sexual harassment by the accused (Singh) continues to haunt her”
On May 10th, the minor provided her first statement before a magistrate, explaining incidents of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan. According to the FIR, Singh was charged with Section 10 of the strict Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as well as IPC Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 34 (common intention), all of which carry one to three years in prison.
Section 10 deals with aggravated sexual assault on a juvenile, which is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Section 9 of the POCSO Act, which defines aggravated sexual assault, makes sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust or authority a crime.
Wrestlers return to duty but vow to continue to fight for justice:
Meanwhile, following a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in his residence, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Poghat have returned to their respective duties. Sakshi Malik clarified via Twitter that no one has withdrawn from their fight for justice and urged the media houses to spread wrong news. She wrote:
"This is wrong that I have taken back my complaint. No one has stepped back from the fight for justice and no one will. I'm joining my duty responsibly by continuing the protests. Our fight continues till we get justice. Request you not to spread wrong news."
