Sports Ministry holds no details of inquiry report on Brij Bhushan, reveals RTI
New Delhi: An exclusive report by The Quint has revealed through an RTI (Right to Information) inquiry that the Sports Ministry has no records of the investigation report on the allegations of sexual misconduct against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former BJP MP and the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
The probe into the allegations, which included accusations of sexual harassment, groping, and intimidation made by female wrestlers, was supposed to be overseen by an Oversight Committee led by M.C. Mary Kom. The committee was appointed by the government on 23 January 2023 to investigate the charges and manage the WFI's daily operations. Despite an extension of the submission deadline, the Ministry responded to an RTI query on 26 May, stating that the report is unavailable.
This investigation gained significant public attention, leading to an FIR being filed against Singh following the Supreme Court's intervention in May 2023. In June 2024, the Delhi Police submitted a 1,000-page charge sheet against Singh. On 10 May 2024, a Delhi court found sufficient evidence to charge Singh and WFI's suspended assistant secretary, Vinod Tomar, with sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of five female wrestlers. Both have denied the charges and opted to stand trial.
Wrestler Bajrang Punia criticized the government for the delays and discrepancies in handling the case, questioning the seriousness of the efforts to investigate the allegations.
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Nashik court sends ‘godman’ Kharat to 3-day police custody in 7th sexual exploitation case
Nashik (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Nashik has remanded self-styled astrologer-cum-godman Ashok Kharat to police custody till April 29 in the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him.
Kharat, a former Merchant Navy officer arrested on March 18, is accused of sexually exploiting several women and indulging in large-scale financial fraud by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic.
In the seventh case, Kharat sexually exploited a married woman who had approached him in search of solutions to her family problems.
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The accused allegedly gave the woman something to drink, sexually assaulted her while her husband sat outside his office and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against Kharat in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts, on Sunday filed a request application in the court demanding his custody in the seventh case.
Kharat was produced in court for a virtual hearing in the seventh case on Monday.
The prosecution demanded six-day police custody for Kharat, citing the discovery of a locker in Kharat's house during the investigation, from which the police recovered two blank cheques and other documents, all of which have to be probed.
The court agreed to the prosecution's demand and remanded Kharat to three-day police custody till April 29 in the case.
Kharat has been at the centre of a political firestorm, as he was well-connected, and photographs of him with political leaders and other important members of society have been surfacing in mainstream and social media since his arrest.
