On Friday, Bajrang Punia, the ace Olympic medalist wrestler, made a harsh decision to return the prestigious Padma Shri award. The decision was made for a specific purpose, i.e., to protest over Sanjay Singh's election as the president of the WFI (Wrestling Federation of India). Sanjay Singh is a loyalist of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
It was on Thursday only when Sanjay Singh was chosen as the Wrestling Federation of India's president.
The wrestler expressed his decision to return the Padma Shri award to the Prime Minister of India through X, formerly Twitter.
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
After the election of Sanjay Singh as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang, and Sakshi Malik talked in a press conference in which Sakshi Malik expressed that she will be quitting the sport of wrestling as a sign of protest.
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Bajrang's letter to the Prime Minister
In order to express his anguish, Bajrang wrote to the Prime Minister highlighting the fact that in the month of January, a protest against Brij Bhushan Singh was initiated by the women wrestlers, accusing the man of sexual harassment. The government promised robust action against the man, but there was no FIR lodged against Brij Bhushan even after three months. The protest started again so that the police at least lodged an FIR against Brij Bhushan Singh. The letter also expressed the fact that in the month of January, there were a total of 19 complaints, however, by the month of April, the number came down to 7, which signifies that Brij Bhushan exerted his influence on 12 women wrestlers.
When the Delhi Police officials stopped Bajrang at the Kartavya Path, he expressed his desire to meet the Prime Minister. He said that he was not protesting nor did he intend to be aggressive.
ALSO READ: Bajrang Punia Biography: Wife, Gold Medals, Age, Medal, Brother, State, Diet, Records & other details
The Sports Ministry's reaction to Bajrang's decision
The sports ministry said that Bajrang Punia's decision to give back the Padma Shri award was his personal choice. However, the ministry said that it will still make attempts to convince the player to reconsider his decision.
The Ministry further clarified that the elections of the WFI were actually conducted in a transparent and free manner.
“It is Bajrang Punia’s personal decision to return Padma Shri. The WFI elections were held in a fair and democratic manner,” stated a Ministry official.
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