India's ex-wrestling chief cleared in sexual harassment case
Getty ImagesAn Indian court has acquitted a controversial politician in a sexual harassment case filed three years ago by a group of female athletes.
Six female wrestlers had accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexually harassing them while he was the head of the Wrestling Federation of India. He had denied the allegations.
Singh, a former MP from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), wields considerable influence in Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically crucial state.
The allegations against him made global headlines in 2023, especially after police detained the wrestlers as they tried to march to India's new parliament building in Delhi.
Footage of the Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia and two-time world champion medallist Vinesh Phogat being dragged on the streets and carried off in police vans went viral, sparking criticism from top athletes and opposition politicians.
They also held a weeks-long protest in the heart of Delhi, demanding that the government take action against Singh.
On Monday, after a district court announced the verdict, Singh told local media that he was "happy" and grateful to his lawyers.
"The day the accusation was levelled against me, I had said that if the charges were proven, I would willingly hang myself. Today, the court has acquitted me," he told news channel NDTV.
As Singh returned to his home in Delhi from the court, supporters greeted him by setting off firecrackers and throwing flower petals. One of his aides, Vinod Tomar, was also cleared of all charges.
Vinesh Phogat, one of India's top wrestlers who became the face of the protests against Singh, wrote on X that she was disappointed by the verdict.
"From the first day, the entire administration, system and government were engaged in protecting [Singh]," she alleged, adding that the wrestlers who filed the case would appeal against the verdict in a higher court.
When the allegations were first made, Modi's government was accused of not acting strongly or swiftly enough against Singh, then a lawmaker from the BJP. The government denied the charge, saying the law would take its course.
Under pressure over the allegations, Singh was denied a BJP ticket to contest Uttar Pradesh's Kaiserganj seat in 2024. The BJP instead made Singh's son its candidate, and he won the seat.
