The female wrestlers testified before the court that the WFI president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, sexually touched them while pretending to check their breath. What else is force, if not that?
Each victim reportedly told the court that they had to extricate themselves “from the clutches of the accused” according to The Indian Express story.
Six female wrestlers allegedly informed the Rouse Avenue court that then-WFI (Wrestling Federation of India) and BJP Lok Sabha MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had abused them sexually.
Senior attorney Rebecca John made the arguments on behalf of the female wrestlers as the court heard arguments on the formulation of charges against Singh and suspended WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, according to the BBC.
“The wrestlers testified before the court that they had improper touching while having their breath checked. What else is force, if not that? John’s contributions were noted in the report.
According to the report, she informed the court that sexual assault and intimidation were both involved and that the two crimes were “interconnected.”
John said that the victims in each instance experienced pain as a result of the absence of their permission.
According to the report, she questioned “Is the accused a doctor…why was he checking their breath.”
When John read the six wrestlers’ allegations to the court, he noted that most of them referenced the wrestlers’ attempts to push the accused away. She claimed that this amounted to the use of force, and as a result, an offense under IPC Section 354 (attack or criminal force to a woman with the purpose to affront her modesty) was established, according to the report.
According to the article, Rajiv Mohan, who was defending Bhushan throughout previous sessions on the drafting of the charges, had claimed that just “hugging” did not constitute sexual assault and hence did not constitute a case under Section 354 of the Penal Code.
