A Delhi court on Monday accepted a closure report by Delhi Police, seeking to cancel a case against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, in which he was accused of sexually harassing a minor, reported Bar and Bench.

The police had filed the closure report in the case, registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, on June 15, 2023. There was no “corroborative evidence against” Singh, said the police, adding that they made the recommendation on the basis of statements of the girl and her father.

The report included testimonies from more than 20 witnesses, along with call records, photos and videos from tournaments and events, The Indian Express reported.

The minor’s father had recorded a statement accusing Singh of sexually harassing his daughter. However, in a subsequent statement, he said that Singh discriminated against his daughter in matters of wrestling but “did not sexually harass her”.

The girl and her father have told the court they were satisfied with the police investigation and did not object to the case being closed, Bar and Bench reported.

In June 2023, the girl’s father told The Hindu that he changed his statement “not because of greed but because I was scared... scared for my family, daughter and myself”.

The same month, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik had also claimed that the minor wrestler changed her statement as her family was threatened.

Meanwhile, Singh is facing a separate trial on sexual harassment allegations made by six women wrestlers. A 1,000-page chargesheet in this case was filed by the police in June 2023 after the Supreme Court’s intervention.

In January 2023, several Indian wrestlers, including Malik, 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat, had launched a protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of intimidation and sexual harassment.

Seven complainants, including the minor, accused the BJP leader of demanding sexual favours for professional help on at least two occasions, and also reported 15 incidents of alleged molestation and other forms of sexual harassment.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was forced to step down from his post and an ad-hoc committee was appointed to look after the affairs of the federation. The elections, which were to be held in July, were delayed due to court cases, which led the United World Wrestling to suspend the Indian federation.

In March, the Union sports ministry overturned the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India. The Union government also gave full control of the federation to its president, Sanjay Singh, who is a close aide of former chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

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