Brij Bhushan plans rally in his constituency on June 11
LUCKNOW: Days after he announced the postponement of his June 5 rally in Ayodhya, outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing protests by India’s top wrestlers over allegations of sexual harassment, now plans to address a public meeting at Colonelganj in his home district Gonda on June 11 to mark nine years of the BJP government at the Centre, people familiar with the issue said.
Colonelganj is part of Singh’s Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency that is spread over the districts of Gonda and Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh.
Singh had on Friday (June 2) put off his Ayodhya rally after the district administration denied permission for the same, citing prohibitory orders in the area.
Then, Singh said that the continuing police investigation into the wrestlers’ charges against him was the reason he had postponed the Jan Chetna Maharally at the Ram Katha Park in Ayodhya for “a few days.”
In a Facebook post, Singh had said, “My dear well wishers! With your support, I have served as a member of the Lok Sabha for the last 28 years. I have tried to unite people of all castes, communities and religions, while being in the ruling party or in opposition. It is for these reasons that my political opponents and their parties have levelled false allegations against me.”
“In the present situation, some political parties are trying to disturb the social harmony by promoting provincialism, regionalism and caste conflict by holding rallies at various places,” Singh had stated in the post on June 2.
The BJP MP had further said, “It was decided to organise a ‘Sant Sammelan’ at Ayodhya on June 5 to deliberate on the evil spreading in the entire society. But now that the police are investigating the allegations (levelled by wrestlers) and respecting the directions of the Supreme Court, the ‘Jan Chetna Maharally’ on June 5, and ‘Ayodhya Chalo’ programme have been postponed for a few days.”
Prominent wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, have been holding protests since April 23 accusing Singh of sexual exploitation.
Two FIRs have been filed by Delhi Police against Singh. The FIRs that were filed in response to the accusations made by six female wrestlers and the father of a minor detail several claimed instances of sexual harassment by the outgoing WFI chief during a 10-year period at various times and locations, including abroad.
Singh, however, has refuted the allegations against him.