"Worried About Junior Women Wrestlers": Sakshi Malik Voices Concerns Over Nationals Venue Choice

Over Nationals Venue Choice

Former Indian wrestler and Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik has expressed her disappointment at the choice of venue for the upcoming junior nationals, scheduled to take place in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, starting from December 28. The discontent arose following the announcement of the dates for under-15 and under-20 national events, which occurred after the recent election of Sanjay Singh as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president on Thursday.

Sakshi Malik took to social media, particularly her X (formerly Twitter) account, to voice her concerns. She questioned the decision to hold the nationals in Gonda, referring to it as the "area of Brijbhushan," highlighting Brij Bhushan's association with the region. Brij Bhushan, notably from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, had earlier announced the dates of the under-15 and under-20 nationals.

"I have given up wrestling but I am worried since last night about those junior women wrestlers who are calling me and telling me that the junior nationals are going to be held from 28th and the new wrestling federation has decided to hold it in Nandani Nagar, Gonda. Gonda is the area of Brijbhushan. Now imagine in what circumstances the junior women wrestlers will go there to wrestle. Is there no other place in this country to host nationals other than Nandani Nagar?," Sakshi Malik wrote in Hindi.

मैंने कुश्ती छोड़ दी है पर कल रात से परेशान हूँ वे जूनियर महिला पहलवान क्या करें जो मुझे फ़ोन करके बता रही हैं कि दीदी इस 28 तारीख़ से जूनियर नेशनल होने हैं और वो नयी कुश्ती फेडरेशन ने नन्दनी नगर गोंडा में करवाने का फ़ैसला लिया है।
गोंडा बृजभूषण का इलाक़ा है। अब आप सोचिए कि…

— Sakshee Malikkh (@SakshiMalik) December 23, 2023

According to ANI reports, after Sanjay Singh's election, Brij Bhushan revealed the dates for the under-15 and under-20 nationals, emphasizing the need to resume wrestling events after an 11-month pause due to various issues. He expressed concern that the delay would impact the wrestlers' entire year.  The WFI elections, initially planned for June and later postponed to August 12, finally took place on December 21 in New Delhi. Sanjay Singh's panel secured a decisive victory with 40 votes, while the opposing panel received only 7 votes. Sanjay Singh, a member of WFI's previous executive council, has been serving as the national federation's joint secretary since 2019.

The election results led to a press conference where star wrestlers and Olympic medalists Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik expressed their disappointment with the outcome. Sakshi Malik, a prominent face in the protest against former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, announced her decision to quit wrestling in response to Sanjay Singh's election.

Notably, earlier this month, wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik met with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to discuss the WFI polls. They sought assurance that individuals close to Brij Bhushan would not hold posts in the federation.

During the press conference, Sakshi Malik emotionally conveyed her decision, emphasizing the sacrifices made during the protest against Brij Bhushan Singh. Vinesh Phogat also expressed deep disappointment, stating that the future of wrestling appears uncertain, and wrestlers continue to face challenges.

Bajrang Punia declared his protest by writing a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, returning his Padma Shri award as a mark of dissatisfaction with the WFI election results. Punia shared a detailed post on social media, explaining his decision and expressing his sentiments.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister which he posted on X, Punia said, “Dear Prime Minister ji, hope your health is well. You must be busy in many work but I am writing this to draw your attention to what is happening to the wrestlers of the country. You must be aware that the women wrestlers of the country started a protest in January this year against Brij Bhushan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment. I too had joined their protest. The protest stopped after the government promised strong action,” the Commonwealth Games medal winning wrestler wrote.

“But even after three months, there was no FIR against Brij Bhushan. So we took to the streets in April again so that the Delhi police would at least file an FIR against him. There were 19 complainants in January but the number came down to 7 by April. This means Brij Bhushan exerted his influence and forced the other 12 wrestlers to leave their protests,” he continued.

“Our protest went on for 40 days. There was much pressure on us during those days. Our protest site was vandalized and we were also not allowed to protest any more. We did not know what to do next so we went to immerse our medals in the Ganga. Then we were stopped by the farmer leaders and coaches. At that time a minister from your cabinet called us up and assured us justice. We also met the Union home minister who also promised us of justice. So, we stopped our protest,” the statement further stated.

“But in the election of the WFI on December 21, the federation came under Brij Bhushan once again. He himself said he would prevail over the federation like he did always. Coming under tremendous pressure, Sakshi Malik announced her retirement from wrestling,” Punia continued.

“We shed tears the entire night. We did not understand what to do, or where to go. The government has given us a lot. I was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2019. I also received the Arjuna, Khel Ratna award. When I got these awards, I was on cloud nine. But today the sadness weighs more. And the reason is a woman wrestler left the sport because of her security,” the wrestler said.

“Sports have empowered our women athletes and changed their lives but the situation is such that the women who could have been the brand ambassadors of beti bachao, beti padhao are now leaving the sport. And we, the wrestlers who were ‘awarded’ could not do anything. I can’t live my life as a Padma Shri awardee while our women wrestlers are insulted. Hence I return this award to you,” the statement concluded.