Vinesh Phogat keeps Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards at Kartavya Path amid row over WFI
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Saturday kept her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards in the middle of the Kartavya Path in New Delhi as she earlier announced to renounce those awards protesting against the injustice to the top wrestlers of the country.
The election of Sanjay Singh as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India triggered protests from the top wrestlers who accused former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexually harassing women wrestlers.
Sanjay Singh is Brij Bhushan’s close aide and that’s why the wrestlers objected to his election as they would not get justice. The WFI was suspended by the sports ministry for not following the provisions of its constitution while taking decisions. The ministry asked the Indian Olympic Association to constitute an ad-hoc panel to manage the affairs of the sports body.
After Sanjay Singh’s election, Sakshi Malik announced her retirement from wrestling, Bajrang Punia returned his Padma Shri and now Vineh Phogat returned two awards.
Police stopped Vinesh Phoat from reaching the PM’s office and Phogat kept her awards in the middle of the road.
On Tuesday, Vinesh announced her decision and said such honours have become meaningless as the wrestlers of the country are struggling to get justice.
On Saturday, Bajrang Punia urged the sports ministry to resume wrestling activities as soon as possible as there have been no wrestling events in the last few months. “we have Olympic Games in 7 months but no one seems serious about it while in the last four Olympics, wrestlers brought consecutive medals,” Bajrang Punia posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The WFI on Friday moved its office out of the residence of former president Brij Bhushan after the sports minister objected to it. The ministry, while suspending the newly-formed WFI panel under president Sanjay Singh on December 24, three days after he was elected its head, had cited the office running from Brij Bhushan’s residence as one of the reasons for taking the stringent action.
“The business of the federation is being run from the premises controlled by former office bearers (Brij Bhushan) — which is also the alleged premises wherein sexual harassment of the players have been alleged and present(ly) the court is hearing the matter,” the ministry said in its letter.