Protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar said on Monday that they welcome Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s call of taking a narco test to prove that their allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation are false, provided that it is monitored by the Supreme Court.
“It was us who had mentioned it (narco test) a long time ago, we have been saying it for long and we are ready for it,” Bajrang Punia said at a press conference at Jantar Mantar. “The narco test should take place under Supreme Court monitoring, and the entire country should be able to see it live.”
Brij Bhushan, who is also a BJP from Kaiserganj, said on Sunday that he was ready to undergo the narco test, or any other lie-detector test, on the condition that Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia take one too.
The wrestlers, protesting at Jantar Mantar demanding Brij Bhushan’s arrest for nearly a month, welcomed his condition.
“(Brij Bhushan) said that Vinesh and Bajrang should also give the narco test, but the seven complainants should also be giving it, they are the ones whose truth needs to come out,” Bajrang said.
Vinesh Phogat at Jantar Mantar on Monday during the Wrestlers Protest. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)
The wrestlers are planning a candlelight march at India Gate on Tuesday, and various women advising and supporting them will also be holding a ‘Mahila mahapanhchayat’ outside the new parliament building during its inauguration on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the wrestlers have also moved the magistrate court at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue for a court-monitored probe out of fears that the Delhi Police will not be conducting a fair investigation.
“All we want is a fair investigation. His statements under Section 164 are still pending, he is sitting 500km away and making these claims (about a narco test). We are sitting here 200m away from his house asking for justice,” Bajrang said on Monday.
The wrestlers’ legal counsel, senior advocate of the Supreme Court Narender Hooda, told The Indian Express on Saturday that a court-monitored probe is essential due to who the accused is. “Since the accused is a Member of Parliament of the ruling party, there is genuine apprehension that police may not proceed in the manner it may proceed against any other accused. So that is why we are requesting the High Court to monitor how the investigating officer is moving in this case,” he said.
The Delhi Police has registered two FIRs against Brij Bhushan – one of which pertains to allegations of a minor wrestler and was registered under the POCSO (Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, and it told the magistrate court earlier this month that it has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations. The next hearing is on May 27.