Wrestler Vinesh Phogat decided to return her Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award as a sign of protest against the newly elected President of the Wrestling Federation of India. Her decision comes days after Sakshee Malikkh announced her retirement and Bajrang Punia returned his Padma Shri.
Source: X
New Delhi: Before the ripples created by Sakshee Malikkh and Bajrang Punia had subsided, wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday declared her decision to return Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award. The decision comes as sexual-abuse accused Brij Bhushan’s aide, Sanjay Singh, got elected as the President of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
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Vinesh Phogat writes to PM
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Phogat stated that the awards no longer meant anything to her. She wrote that every woman wants to live with dignity and that she didn’t want awards to burden her on the paath to living with dignity. Sharing the letter on social media, she “thanked the mighty” for dragging them to such a state. Previously, wrestler Sakshee Malikkh declared her decision to quit wrestling and Bajrang Punia gave away his Padma Shri as a sign of protest against the election of the new chief.
She vehemently expressed her message in the letter to PM wherein she stated that the experiences endured by female wrestlers in recent years provide a glimpse into the suffocating environment they have been subjected to. She wrote that while Sakshee has already retired, the culprit not only boasts about his power but also engages in shameless chanting. Phogat urged the PM to spare five minutes and listen to his remarks, for they will reveal the extent of his actions. She asserted that he openly admits to making female wrestlers feel uneasy and has made relentless efforts to humiliate them.
WFI Election: The Aftermath
On December 21, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s ally, Sanjay Singh, won the election for the position of WFI’s chief, earning 40 out of 47 votes. On December 24, the sports ministry took the decision to suspend the WFI, stating that they had shown a clear lack of respect for legal and procedural norms. Additionally, the federation had committed multiple violations of both the federation constitution and the National Sports Code. In response, the ministry directed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to establish an ad-hoc committee to oversee the operations of the federation. It is worth noting that the IOA, which had previously managed the federation through its ad-hoc panel, has not yet announced the formation of the new committee.
Accusations against Brij Bhushan
Six female wrestlers had levelled sexual harassment allegations against Mr Bhushan, which he refuted terming those as “false and motivated”. The adult wrestlers, as stated in the FIR, lodged complaints that outline incidents of groping, improper touching, and attempts to coerce physical interaction. Brij Bhushan, through his counsel, stated before the magistrate that all the complaints had a motive and that almost every complainant changed their statement.
Protests against Brij Bhushan
On May 30th, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, both Olympic medallists, along with Vinesh Phogat, an Asian Games gold medallist, visited Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar accompanied by their supporters. Their intention was to discard their medals into the Ganga river. However, upon the intervention of farm leaders, who convinced them against such a drastic action, the wrestlers ultimately chose not to dispose of their medals in the river. It is worth noting that the wrestlers faced severe mistreatment from the police during their protest march towards the new parliament on May 28th.
