Wrestlers protest: No 'deal' with Amit Shah, info on discussion leaked by govt, says Bajrang Punia

Bajrang Punia
Bajrang Punia at the protest site in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: PTI/Manvender Vashist La)

New Delhi: Bajrang Punia, the Olympian at the forefront of the grapplers' protest calling for the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment charges, on Tuesday said they have been instructed by the Centre to not talk about their discussion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue.

In an interview with NDTV, Punia said the wrestlers have not made any 'deal' with Amit Shah and that the investigation is ongoing.

He further said the protest has not died down and that they are strategising on how to take the movement forward.

"It is the government that asked us not to share details of the meeting with Amit Shah. Any information that has gotten out has been leaked from the there (Centre)," said Punia.

However, following the discussions, he said the athletes weren't satisfied with the government's response and neither were the latter agreeing to the grapplers' demands.

Besides Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Sangita Phogat and Satyawart Kadian were part of the discussion that was held for over an hour.

Statements of Singh's aides, workers recorded

As part of the ongoing probe into the sexual harassment case, the Delhi Police visited the residence of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda and recorded the statements of his associates and workers, an official said on Tuesday.

"We visited Gonda as part of the investigation and recorded the statements of Singh's associates and workers, including the driver at his house. The team checked their IDs and noted their addresses while recording the statements. We are collecting evidence and collaborating with victims' statements," said the senior police official privy to the investigation.

Once all the evidence is collected, a report will be submitted in court, he added.

Minor records fresh version

The official also said that the 17-year-old wrestler on whose complaint a case under POCSO Act was registered against Singh at Connaught Place police station, has now recorded a fresh statement under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before the magistrate in court.

Refusing to divulge more details, the official said that as the case is very sensitive and only limited information can be shared.

(With IANS inputs)

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