BJP MP allegedly slaps wrestler

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was in Ranchi during the three-day Under-15 Junior National Wrestling Championship

Video footage of a person resembling BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh slapping the junior wrestler at the Under-15 national championship in Ranchi: Manob Chowdhary

Animesh Bisoee   |   TT  |  Jamshedpur   |  19.12.21: BJP MP and president of Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh allegedly lost his cool and slapped a junior wrestler during a national championship in Ranchi, with the purported video of the incident surfacing on social media on Friday.

The six-time MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh was in Ranchi during the three-day Under-15 Junior National Wrestling Championship that concluded on Friday.

The purported video of the incident, which took place during the inaugural day, shows a person resembling Singh repeatedly slapping a young wrestler on stage at the indoor stadium in Khelgaon.

The WFI president who was attending the wrestling championship as chief guest lost his temper when the wrestler wanted to be allowed on stage despite being asked not to do so, sources said. The wrestler, from Uttar Pradesh, was stopped from participating in the competition when he was found over-age during verification. 

In the video, the person resembling Singh is seen losing his cool after the wrestler says something and smacks him thrice before being pacified by others on the dais.

The Telegraph tried to contact Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on his mobile but the calls and messages went unanswered.

Jharkhand Wrestling Association president Bholanath Singh tried to downplay the incident.

“There are several important issues but the media is only highlighting this one. The wrestler had argued with the president despite being told that he could not be allowed because of his age. Sportsmen should learn to be disciplined first. In wrestling, like in other sports, we are very strict in checking age and weight,” Bholanath Singh said.

Bholanath Singh, however, expressed ignorance about the name or weight category of the wrestler.

“He was from Uttar Pradesh and was disqualified. So we did not keep any record of the participant,” he said.

Sources involved with the competition revealed that the junior wrestler had pleaded with the WFI president on the ground that both of them were from Uttar Pradesh.  This led the BJP MP to lose his temper, the sources said.

A total of 750 wrestlers from 26 states took part in the competition that saw matches being held in Greco-Roman and freestyle categories.