No cognizable offence of hate speech made out against wrestlers: Delhi Police to court
New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) Delhi Police on Friday submitted before a court here that the wrestlers mentioned in a complaint filed against them, were not implicated in any hate speech case.
This comes after the Patiala House Court had sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the police on a complaint by a social activist and chief of Atal Jan Shakti Party seeking registration of an FIR against the wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik for pressing “false allegations” of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The police submitted a status report before the court, which accepted it.
On a video clip provided by the complainant showing Sikh protesters chanting the slogan ‘Modi teri kabr khudegi, aaj nhi to kal khudegi’, the police stated that after reviewing the video clip, it was evident that unidentified Sikh protesters were the ones chanting the slogan, and there was no evidence of hate speech by the wrestler protesters.
“From the contents of the complaint and videos clip provided by the complainant no cognizable offence of hate speech is made out. The protester wrestlersA Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and other wrestlers are not seen raising any such slogan in this clip,” the police ATR submitted before Metropolitan Magistrate Anamika read.
The police further urged the court to dismiss the application and apprised that two other complaints filed by Maharaj, which accused Brijbhushan Sharan Singh without substantial evidence, were forwarded to the Connaught Place police station.
Two FIRs have been registered by the wrestlers in response to those complaints.
The court has listed the case for further hearing on July 7.
The complaint had alleged that the protesters were involved in delivering “hate speech” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Nauhatiya had challenged the credibility of the allegations made by the accused individuals against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The plea argued that the accusations lack truth and are not motivated by any genuine concern but by potential influence or personal gain.
The plea stated: “The accused are internationally recognised wrestlers who possess physical strength and financial stability. It is difficult to believe that they could be subjected to harassment by a 66-year-old man, Singh.”
Furthermore, the plea highlighted the absence of any formal protest or the filing of a written or verbal FIR by any of the wrestlers involved.
The plea noted that relevant authorities such as the Police Station, Women Helpline, State Women’s Commission, the Ministry of Women Welfare, and the Indian Olympic Association, all of which have offices in Delhi and other states, were not approached by the wrestlers.
Moreover, the plea argued that the protest organised by the wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in Delhi served only to exert unnecessary pressure on the police and the court system in an attempt to achieve their desired outcomes.
The plea highlighted that during the protest organised by the wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, a “highly inflammatory” slogan was openly raised, as per the broadcast on national news channels.
The plea said this slogan was an instance of hate speech, asserting “the language used by the protesters clearly indicates a threat to the life of Prime Minister Modi”.
It emphasised that hate speech is not only a legal offence but also a serious crime, according to recent judgments by the Supreme Court.
Furthermore, the plea contended that false allegations and the activities carried out by the accused wrestlers at the protest site have severely tarnished the character of the WFI chief.