4 months ago
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New Delhi: Olympic medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia Friday returned his civilian award, Padma Shri, to the Prime Minister following the selection of Sanjay Singh as the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
Singh is a long-time aide of BJP MP and former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who had to step aside after several women wrestlers brought sexual harassment charges against him.
Another Olympic medal winner, Sakshee Malikkh, quit the sport completely Thursday to protest Sanjay Singh’s appointment.
Punia, in a letter to Narendra Modi that he posted on social platform X, wrote about the wrestlers’ protests against Brij Bhushan Singh since January this year, and how the athletes had to take to the streets again in April since the police had failed to move on their complaints.
He said the second leg of protests had ended only after the government assured of legal action against Brij Bhushan, promising “justice” to the aggrieved women wrestlers, and said it would remove him, his family members and aides from the WFI. Singh, a six-time BJP MP, has been the WFI chief for 12 years.
Punia said the result of the 21 December elections had brought despair to wrestlers, leaving them feeling betrayed.
He said the election results meant that Brij Bhushan Singh — “even whose shadow scared women wrestlers” — would continue to rule the WFI.
“Those of us who were given awards could do nothing for these women,” Punia wrote in Hindi, adding that he was, therefore, returning the Padma Shri.
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
He said the women who could have been the brand ambassadors of the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign — a much-vaunted central government initiative for northern states — were forced to leave the game.
“I cannot live my life as a ‘respected’ athlete since I have not been able to do anything for them… It would disgust me to be called ‘respected’ when introduced in public, since a woman athlete deserving of that respect has been denied it,” Punia said, signing off as a “Disrespected Wrestler”.
Nineteen women wrestlers had brought sexual harassment charges against Brij Bhushan Singh, a powerful parliamentarian from Uttar Pradesh, in January. The number dwindled to seven in April, and further went down to six, Punia said, attributing this to pressure from the MP.
Also read: Sakshee Mallikh says ‘goodbye to wrestling’ after Brij Bhushan aide elected WFI president
