"Congress levelled allegations, it should change its ways": BJP MP Dharmshila on Brij Bhushan's acquittal in wrestlers' case

On August 3, the Rouse Avenue Court acquitted Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the case related to allegations made by women wrestlers. The verdict sparked political reactions from the opposition, which questioned the outcome.

BJP MP Dharmshila Gupta on Tuesday defended former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh following his acquittal in the women wrestlers' alleged sexual harassment case and accused the Congress of making "false allegations" for political gains. Speaking to ANI, Gupta alleged that the Congress had no issues concerning public welfare and instead resorted to levelling baseless accusations against political opponents.

"This false allegation was made against Brij Bhushan by the Congress, and the Congress always does things like this. They have no issues, no policies, and they resort to false accusations. The Congress should change its ways and focus on the country's development," Gupta said. On August 3, the Rouse Avenue Court acquitted Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the case related to allegations made by women wrestlers. The verdict sparked political reactions from the opposition, which questioned the outcome.

Dharmshila Gupta's remarks came a day after Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the Centre over Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's acquittal, alleging that justice had not been delivered to the women wrestlers who had accused the former BJP MP. She also reiterated the Congress' support for the wrestlers. "On one hand they say that they are with the young generation, they talk about women empowerment, women reservation, and on the other hand they do this," she said.

Following the verdict, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh welcomed the court's decision and claimed the allegations against him were part of a larger conspiracy. "This was a lie. It was a well-planned conspiracy involving many parties across the country. Today, I received a clean chit from the judiciary. There are thousands of people across the country who are facing these false accusations. There's a gang in every district that takes money to get cases filed. This will empower all those people, knowing that if a case is false, they don't need to give up. They need to fight. My image has never been tarnished," Singh said.

His counsel, Advocate Rajiv Mohan, described the verdict as an "honourable acquittal" and said the court had found the allegations unsupported by the evidence placed before it He further claimed that the investigation established Singh was not present at the location where one of the alleged incidents was said to have taken place.

The sexual harassment case involving Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh stemmed from allegations made by women wrestlers against Singh during his tenure as WFI chief. The Delhi Police had filed a chargesheet against Singh in 2023, alleging offences including sexual harassment, assault or criminal force against women and criminal intimidation. (ANI)