Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (born 8 January 1957) is an Indian politician who is serving as Member of Parliament from Kaiserganj as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

He was the president of the Wrestling Federation of India.

His political career is marked by many controversies, as he was one of the prominent names who was arrested in the demolition of the Babri Masjid case and was also booked under the anti-terrorism law TADA for harbouring the shooters of Dawood Ibrahim gang.

However, he was later acquitted for lack of evidence.

He is currently at the centre of the accusations of sexual harassment by India's top female wrestlers, wherein 7 female wrestlers including 1 minor have testified against him in an FIR.

These wrestlers include Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, in the ongoing wrestlers' protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was born on 8 January 1957 in the Rajput family of Shri Jagdamba Sharan Singh and Smt.

Pyari Devi Singh.

He studied law at Saket P.G. College in Ayodhya.

As per police records, 38 criminal cases were lodged against Brij Bhushan Singh between 1974 and 2007.

In particular, the FIRs were filed under the stringent Gangsters and Goonda Acts 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.

He is a six-time Member of Parliament, five times from BJP and one time from Samajwadi Party.

He married to Ketki Devi Singh in 1981 and have three sons and a daughter.

In 1991 he was elected to the 10th Lok Sabha from Gonda constituency in Uttar Pradesh as Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.

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 charged with the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in 1993 for allegedly helping associates of Dawood Ibrahim who allegedly organised the J.J Hospital Shootout in Mumbai.

He was later acquitted after spending several months in jail.

In a video 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.

After he became the president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), 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?"

In 2021, during a junior wrestling tournament, he slapped a wrestler on stage, and was caught on camera.

In Jan 2023, a group of Olympians and international wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and others organised 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.

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.

In 2004, their elder son Shakti Sharan Singh committed suicide at the age of 23.

Reportedly, he shot himself with a licensed pistol and blamed his father's selfish attitude in a suicide note.

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.

In 2009, he was re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha from Kaiserganj constituency in Uttar Pradesh state.

He was the President of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) from (2011-2023).

The incidents of sexual harassment cited by protestors ranged from 2012 to 2022.

On 28 April 2023, only after the intervention of the Supreme Court, did 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 offences against a minor.

A second FIR was registered on similar grounds on the complaint of the remaining 6 adult female wrestlers.

He later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party months before the 16th general election and is currently a member of 17th Lok Sabha from BJP.

In his Lok Sabha 2019 affidavit, the individual declared total liabilities and assets amounting to less than ₹11 crore.

Nevertheless, his assets reportedly include two helicopters, one private jet, as well as a number of schools, colleges, hotels, and hospitals.

Singh once encountered as many as 38 cases against him under various charges including theft, criminal intimidation, murder, attempt to murder, rioting, and kidnapping.

He was the prime suspect but 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."