"Conspirators Have Been Unmasked": Brij Bhushan To NDTV On Clean Chit In Harassment Case

Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was acquitted in an alleged sexual harassment case involving women wrestlers on Monday. Expressing relief, Brij Bhushan rejoiced as his three-year wait to prove his innocence came to an end. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Ashwani Panwar acquitted both Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. While the court has yet to release the detailed judgment, Brij Bhushan stated in an exclusive interview with NDTV that those who conspired against him stand unmasked.

"I had said before, if the allegations against me are proven correct, I will hang myself. Today, I have received justice. The court has acquitted me with full honour. People used to say I was being boastful. Well, I spoke that way because while I did not know the motives of the other party, I knew myself and where I stood, knowing I had made no mistake. I had faith that I would get justice, and today I have received that justice."

When the allegations first surfaced, several wrestlers staged a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The mounting controversy prompted Brij Bhushan to step down from the wrestling federation following the completion of his tenure. Prominent wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, were joined by various political leaders in these demonstrations. However, Brij Bhushan maintains that the protests were part of a larger conspiracy, claiming his detractors have now been exposed.

"Those who conspired have been unmasked. They are at a loss as well. They suffered damage, they faced political loss too. It's not as if they didn't. They suffered political loss and mental distress, as was bound to happen. Their own image has been tarnished. As for me, I never considered myself a culprit. People may have thought so, but over these past three and a half years of interacting with you all, I never had any sense of guilt inside me."

Addressing the collateral damage suffered by Indian wrestling and its athletes over the last three years, Brij Bhushan asserted that a full recovery has already taken place.

"We have made up for it; our athletes have made up for it. They have already started doing so. Earlier, there used to be issues regarding age manipulation here, but that has now been sorted out. Someone had reduced their age by 4 years, someone by 6 years, someone by 3 years. The current federation did away with all that, and both of our teams went on to become world champions. So, the athletes have already made up for the loss."

#NDTVExclusive | While speaking to NDTV's @akhileshsharma1, Brij Bhushan Singh reacts to Delhi Court's acquittal in wrestlers' sexual harassment case: 'If I was found guilty, I would hang myself' pic.twitter.com/ubQtLmopX7

— NDTV (@ndtv) August 3, 2026

Directing his critique at the protesting wrestlers, Brij Bhushan refrained from issuing direct remarks about them, but emphasized that the saga had cast a shadow over Indian sports.

"Look, I have no words for them at this moment. However, because of them, the world of sports was defamed. Athletes were defamed. Olympic medallists were defamed, world champions were defamed. Now it is up to them to figure out what they should do; I have no words for them today."

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