Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (born 8 January 1957) is an Indian politician[1] who is serving as Member of Parliament from Kaiserganj as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.[2] He is the current president of the Wrestling Federation of India.[3]

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Assumed office
16 May 2009
Preceded byBeni Prasad Verma
ConstituencyKaiserganj
Personal details
Born (1957-01-08) 8 January 1957
Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party (1991-2008, 2014-Present)
Samajwadi Party (2008-2014)
SpouseKetki Devi Singh
Children4, including Prateek Bhushan Singh
ResidenceGonda
Websitebrijbhushansingh.in
As of 12 April, 2010
Source:

His political career is marked by many controversies, as he was one of the prominent names in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, got arrested in the demolition of the Babri Masjid case and was also booked under the anti-terrorism law TADA for harboring shooters of the Dawood Ibrahim gang.[4] However, he was later acquitted for lack of evidence.[5][6]

He is currently at the center of the accusations of sexual harassment by India's top female wrestlers,[7][8] including Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, in the ongoing wrestlers' protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.[9][10]

Early life and education

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was born on 8 January 1957 in a Rajput family[11] to Shri Jagdamba Sharan Singh and Smt. Pyari Devi Singh.[12][13] He studied law at Saket P.G. College in Ayodhya.[6] As per police records, 38 criminal cases were lodged against Brij Bhushan between 1974 and 2007.[14][15] In particular, the FIRs were filed under the stringent Gangsters[16][17] and Goonda Acts[18][19] for various charges including theft, dacoity, murder, criminal intimidation, attempt to murder, and kidnapping, though he was acquitted in most of the cases as per his election affidavit.[20][21][22]

Political career

He is a six-time Member of Parliament, five times from BJP and one time from Samajwadi Party.[6] In 1991 he was elected to the 10th Lok Sabha from Gonda constituency in Uttar Pradesh as Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. He was re-elected to the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999 from the same constituency and in 2004, he was re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha from Balrampur constituency in Uttar Pradesh state on the BJP ticket. On 20 July 2008, he joined the Samajwadi Party after BJP expelled him for cross-voting in the parliament during the 2008 Lok Sabha vote of confidence.[6][23] In 2009, he was re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha from Kaiserganj constituency in Uttar Pradesh state. He later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party months before the 16th general election and is currently a member of 17th Lok Sabha from BJP. He is the President of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Controversies

In 1992 he was involved in Babri Masjid Demolition Case, due to which he was arrested by CBI along with 39 other people. He was the prime suspect and was later acquitted by the Supreme Court of India in 2020. Later, according to The Wire, he boasted, "During the movement, I was the first person from the area to be arrested by Mulayam Singh. I was also the first person arrested by the CBI after the controversial structure was demolished."[6]

He was charged with the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in 1993 for allegedly helping associates of Dawood Ibrahim who allegedly organized the J.J Hospital Shootout in Bombay. He was later acquitted after spending several months in jail.[24][6]

Statement about committing murder

In an interview with the web portal The Lallantop in 2022, Brij Bhushan stated "I have committed a murder in the past. Whatever people may say, I did commit a murder. I immediately shot and killed the person who had shot Ravinder dead". Ravinder Singh was his close friend.[6]

President of Wrestling Federation of India

While serving as a president of Wrestling Federation of India, in an interview with The Indian Express, he said, "They (wrestlers) are strong boys and girls. You need someone strong to control them. Is there anyone stronger than me here?"[6][25]

In 2021, during a junior wrestling tournament, he slapped a wrestler on stage which was caught on camera.[6]

Allegations of sexual harassment of female wrestlers
Main article: 2023 Indian wrestlers' protest

In Jan 2023, a group of Olympians and international wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and others organized a sit-in demanding disbanding of the federation due to alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers by Brij Bhushan. The protests resumed in April 2023 due to government inaction. The protestors demanded police file an FIR against Brij Bhushan and his immediate arrest. The incidents of sexual harassment cited by protestors ranged from 2012 to 2022.[26][27][28] On 28th April 2023, after the intervention of the Supreme Court, the Delhi Police registered two FIRs against him. One of the FIRs was registered under the POCSO Act (The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012) for offenses against a minor. A second FIR was registered on similar grounds on the complaint of a few adult female wrestlers.[29]

According to a report by the Indian Express, two female wrestler complainants described the way Brij Bhushan used to touch their breasts and stomach sexually on the pretext of checking their breath, in a police complaint on 21 April 2023. One of these two women alleged that Brij Bhushan lifted her training jersey without her consent in the year 2018.[30][31]

Vinesh Phogat, one of the leading protestors, alleged that the accused "mentally harassed and tortured" her for missing out on a medal at Tokyo Olympics in 2021.[32]

On May 12, The Delhi Police recorded a statement from Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh regarding the sexual harassment charges leveled against him by female wrestlers.[33]

A female DCP will head a SIT (Special Investigation Team) of 10 people against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.[34]

References
  1. Ara, Ismat (7 February 2023). "Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh: The bahubali neta". frontline.thehindu.com. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  2. Kumar, Mayank (21 January 2023). "BJP MP accused of harassing wrestlers is a controversial bahubali with a wide fanbase". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  3. emmanuel. "Wrestling Federation of India". United World Wrestling. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  4. Misra, Shubhangi (19 January 2023). "'Don of all dons, murderer, wrestling reformer' — WFI chief & MP Brij Bhushan's colourful life". ThePrint. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  5. "Even a murder case against Brij Bhushan: Kapil Sibal to Supreme Court". Hindustan Times. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  6. Goswami, Deepak (25 April 2023). "Who Is BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, at the Heart of Serious Charges By Wrestlers?". The Wire. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  7. "India's top female wrestlers are camping on the streets of New Delhi. Here's why". CNN. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  8. "Why are top Indian wrestlers protesting on the streets?". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  9. Bureau, The Hindu (28 April 2023). "Delhi Police register FIRs in wrestlers' case". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  10. Anand, Nisha (25 April 2023). "Who is BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh, wrestling body chief accused of sexual harassment". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  11. "BJP MP accused of harassing wrestlers is a controversial bahubali with a wide fanbase". The Hindu. 21 January 2023.
  12. "Members: Lok Sabha". 164.100.47.194. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  13. Sharma, Supriya. "In Uttar Pradesh, big dons aren't afraid to cry in public". Scroll.in. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  14. "Even a murder case against Brij Bhushan: Kapil Sibal to Supreme Court". Hindustan Times. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  15. Vaishnav, Milan (24 January 2017). When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-22474-0.
  16. "सासद ने कहा गाधी नहीं माफिया हूं मैं -". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  17. "I am not Gandhi, I am a mafia man: SP MP". News18. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  18. "A Wrestle For Justice At Jantar Mantar". Outlook India.
  19. "Brij Bhushan shares space with Advani and Dawood in CBI files". The Times of India. 4 May 2014. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  20. Salaria, Shikha (8 May 2023). "History sheeter with no convictions — muscle power & the alleged crimes of Brij Bhushan". ThePrint. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  21. "BJP MP Brij Bhushan, two others acquitted in 29-year-old case". Hindustan Times. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  22. "Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh(Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)):Constituency- KAISERGANJ(UTTAR PRADESH) - Affidavit Information of Candidate:". myneta.info. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  23. "Bal Thackeray's Legacy: How 'Reluctant Politician' Uddhav Has Mastered The Art Of Politics As Raj Looks The Other Way". Outlook India. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  24. Ranjan, Mukesh (29 January 2023). "Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh no stranger to controversies". The Tribune. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  25. Manral, Mahender Singh; Vasavda, Mihir (24 April 2023). "Sexual harassment: Wrestlers cite incidents dating back to 2012, allege some took place at Brij Bhushan's MP bungalow". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  26. "Head of Indian wrestling federation accused of sexual harassment". The Guardian. Reuters in Delhi. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  27. Manral, Mahender Singh; Vasavda, Mihir (24 April 2023). "Sexual harassment: Wrestlers cite incidents dating back to 2012, allege some took place at Brij Bhushan's MP bungalow". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  28. "Indian wrestlers demand arrest of federation chief at sit-in". Al Jazeera. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  29. "After SC prodding, 2 FIRs; wrestlers say won't rest until WFI chief arrested". 28 April 2023.
  30. Manral, Mahender Singh; Koshie, Nihal (7 May 2023). "On pretext of checking breath, Brij Bhushan touched breast, stomach: 2 wrestlers to police". Indian Express. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  31. Dhar, Aniruddha (7 May 2023). "WFI's Brij Bhushan touched inappropriately, 2 wrestlers tell Delhi Police: Report". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  32. Sud, Vedika; Rhea, Mogul; Farooqui, Sania (4 May 2023). "India's top female wrestlers are camping on the streets of New Delhi. Here's why". CNN. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  33. "SIT formed to probe sexual harassment charges against Brij Bhushan Singh, Delhi Police tell court". scroll.in. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  34. "A female DCP to head a SIT team of 10 people against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh". www.hamaribaat.com. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
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