A day after Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik retired from the sport in protest against the election of Sanjay Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan, as the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) president, Bajrang Punia announced that he is returning his Padma Shri award in protest. Punia wrote a letter to Prime Minister Modi, stating, “I am returning my Padmashree award to the Prime Minister. This is just my letter to announce that. This is my statement.”
Sanjay Singh, known as a loyalist to Brij Bhushan, was elected as the president of WFI, winning 13 out of 15 posts. Following Singh’s election, wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat held a press conference, where Sakshi Malik announced her decision to retire from wrestling in protest against the election results. In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Bajrang Punia highlighted the wrestlers’ earlier protest against Brij Bhushan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment. Despite promises of strong action, there was no FIR filed against Singh, leading to renewed protests by the wrestlers in April.
Punia expressed concern about the lack of progress in addressing the grievances of women wrestlers and emphasized the need for action against Brij Bhushan Singh. The wrestlers had been demanding justice for the alleged sexual harassment by Singh and expressed disappointment in the government’s response to their concerns.
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