Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik Meet Priyanka Gandhi in Delhi

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik met with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi following the election of Sanjay Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan, as the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). This meeting transpired just hours after Bajrang Punia wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announcing his decision to return his Padma Shri award. Notably, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik declared her retirement from the sport the day before.

Expressing his sentiments, Bajrang Punia remarked, "When I reflect on this day, these medals and awards hurt me, and I wonder why we were even given these when we fought for our daughters and sisters, and we failed. I feel that I am not suitable for this award. The federation was formed to support the players, not to demean and push them to the limits of retirement."

The developments unfolded after the election results for the WFI chief were announced, with Sakshi Malik expressing her dissatisfaction, stating, "If the president of WFI is going to be someone like Brij Bhushan, his business partner, then I quit wrestling." Sanjay Singh, the former vice president of WFI, secured 40 votes against Anita Sheoran to clinch the president's post. In addition, Prem Chand Lochab won the post of general secretary by defeating Darshan Lal.

Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat had previously led extensive protests against the outgoing WFI chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, in response to multiple sexual harassment complaints against him, all of which he denied. Following Sanjay Singh's election, the trio held a press conference where Sakshi announced her decision to quit the sport as a form of protest. "We fought from our heart, but if a man like Brij Bhushan, his business partner, and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I give up wrestling. From today onwards, you will not see me on the mat," Sakshi declared emotionally.

मोदी सरकार में अत्याचार झेल रहे देश के होनहार पहलवान साक्षी मलिक और बजरंग पुनिया से मिलने श्रीमती @priyankagandhi जी उनके घर पहुंची।

मोदी सरकार के तानाशाही रवैये से देश का हर वर्ग परेशान है। pic.twitter.com/9EDTvVagEx

— Congress (@INCIndia) December 22, 2023

Also Read | Bajrang Punia returns Padma Shri award over WFI chief election

Bajrang Punia's full statement while returning his Padma Shri Award

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.

मैं अपना पद्मश्री पुरस्कार प्रधानमंत्री जी को वापस लौटा रहा हूँ. कहने के लिए बस मेरा यह पत्र है. यही मेरी स्टेटमेंट है। 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/PYfA9KhUg9

— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) December 22, 2023

“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.

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