New Delhi: BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing sexual harassment allegations from women wrestlers, has announced that the proposed ‘grand’ meet (Jan Chetna Maharally) in Ayodhya on June 5 with BJP leaders and Hindu religious leaders has now been postponed. The event was planned with the intention to drum up support for Singh against whom protests are intensifying.He put out a statement on his official Facebook page on Friday, June 2, to the effect that the event has been postponed for a “few days” citing police investigation into the allegations levelled against him and Supreme Court directions. “I worked for the unity of different castes and communities during my tenure [as an MP]. That is why my political opponents and their parties have levelled frivolous allegations against me,” Singh’s post in Hindi stated.The preparation for the rally was in full swing, and Singh had held several rounds of meetings with Hindu religious leaders. It was expected that besides the seers of Ayodhya, priests from Bahraich, Gonda, and parts of Shravasti would also attend the event.Meanwhile, Ayodhya’s district magistrate, Nitish Kumar, told The Wire over the phone that the district administration had not received any applications for ‘Jan Chetna Maharally’ on June 5. However, Kumar added that the district administration had received an application for organising a Sant symposium, which is under consideration.His announcement postponing the event came a day after news outlets reported in detail on the harrowing contents of the first information reports filed against him.The FIRs, which have been reported on before, even though these counts have not yet come to light, contain at least two instances of Singh allegedly demanding “sexual favours” in lieu of professional assistance, “at least 15 incidents of sexual harassment that include 10 episodes of inappropriate touching, molestation that includes running hands over breasts, touching the navel, and several instances of intimidation including stalking — and a shared sense of fear and trauma.”Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has released a plea to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, urging him to “read these serious charges and tell the country why there has been no action against the accused.” Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has also tweeted a similar note to Modi.The Ayodhya gathering was organised by Ayodhya’s Hindu religious leaders and according to Indian Express was estimated to have over 11 lakh attendees.Singh is understood to have been behind it and referred to it as a ‘Jan Chetna Maharali’.Crucially the gathering was to press for amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. One of those who have levelled allegations against Singh is a minor, which brought Singh’s alleged crimes under the POCSO Act.In the report on the FIRs, Express had it that minor’s complaint, filed by her father, notes that his daughter is “completely disturbed and cannot be at peace anymore” and that Singh’s harassment of her continues to “haunt” her.Singh wrote on Facebook that he was “respecting the serious directions of the Supreme Court” and postponing the programme.It is not clear exactly which directions of the Supreme Court Singh was referring to. On May 4, the apex court closed the proceedings in the petition filed by wrestlers who wanted their allegations against Singh to be investigated. The court had asked police to ensure adequate security was given to the complainants.Singh has also said the allegations against him are false and have been levelled against him because he has been a long-serving MP.Speculation is rife in Uttar Pradesh political circles that the BJP does not want to rally behind Singh, and perceives that a rally such as the one proposed would only tarnish the party’s image further given the rising support for protesting wrestlers. According to party insiders, the party’s top brass is perturbed and wants no more public discourse on the issue given the criticism against the government after women wrestlers were manhandled by police during a protest on May 28. They are apprehensive that persistent media coverage of the issue might upset the apple cart in the next general election. India’s top wrestling champions and others have been protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar since April 23, demanding Singh’s arrest. They were brutally manhandled by police when they took out a march towards the new parliament on May 28.(With additional inputs from Asad Rizvi)This copy, first published at 4:15 pm on June 2, 2023, was republished at 10:00 pm on the same day with additional inputs.