NEW DEHLI
\nThe chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, under police investigation for suspected sexual misconduct after accusations by female athletes, held a political rally on Sunday in his first public appearance since the probe was launched in April.
\nBrij Bhushan Sharan Singh, also a federal lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s ruling party, is the subject of a criminal case filed by seven female wrestlers who accused him of groping young athletes at training camps and tournaments.
\nSingh has denied all the allegations. Delhi police are investigating and will submit their findings before a trial court on Thursday.
\n\u201cI will not comment on the allegations. I am waiting for the court order on this case,\u201d Singh told reporters at the Sunday gathering near his political constituency in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
\nClad in a saffron robe and turban typically worn by Hindu monks, Singh told a crowd of supporters in scorching heat that he would continue to implement policies introduced by Modi and was committed to serving the people.
\nAttendees shouted \u201clong live our lawmaker\u201d and \u201cwe stand with you\u201d as they gathered for the rally.
\nSingh, a six-term member of parliament, also runs about 50 private educational centers in and around his political constituency.
\nHe has been the president of the Wrestling Federation of India for nearly a decade. His son is a local lawmaker and also an official at the federation.
\nThe accusations sparked protests by India\u2019s top wrestlers and other athletes, at times drawing a heavy-handed response from authorities who briefly detained or forcibly dispersed the participants.
\nImages of athletes being dragged away and carried off in buses went viral, sparking criticism from leading athletes and opposition politicians. Wrestlers eventually secured meetings with government ministers after threatening to throw their medals into the Ganges River.
\nThe incidents have shone a spotlight on the government\u2019s response to criminal complaints against an influential member of Modi\u2019s ruling party and spurred Delhi police to open two investigations against Singh in April, including one under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
\nGlobal sports organisations have also weighed in on the case.
\nUnited World Wrestling, the sport\u2019s international governing body, issued a statement condemning the brief detentions of wrestlers during protests and criticised a lack of results in the investigations against Singh.
\nThis month, Sport and Rights Alliance, a global coalition of non-governmental organisations that promotes human rights in sports, urged the International Olympic Committee to ensure a transparent, independent, and impartial investigation into the allegations.
\n\u201cIt takes a lot of courage to break the silence and disclose a case of sexual abuse,\u201d network coordinator Joanna Maranhao said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DEHLI The chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, under police investigation for suspected sexual misconduct after accusations by female athletes, held a political rally on Sunday in his first public appearance since the probe was launched in April. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, also a federal lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s ruling party, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-336963","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n