Hyderabad: Star grappler and World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday announced that she is returning her Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the country's highest sporting honour and the Arjuna Award, to the government, protesting against the election of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh-loyalist Sanjay Singh as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president.
In a long post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Vinesh Phogat said, "I am returning my Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award. Many thanks to the powerful for bringing us to this condition (sic)." She attached a letter, which she wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Vinesh Phogat wrote in the letter, "I was awarded Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna but unfortunately there is no meaning for it in my life. Every women wants to live with respect. So, Prime Minister Sir, I want to return the two awards, so we can respectfully and the awards do not become a burden for me."
Earlier, Olympian Bajrang Punia had returned his Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honour and had left it on a footpath on the Kartavya Path in New Delhi. Even star wrestler Sakshi Malik had announced that she quit the game.
On Thursday, Sanjay Singh, a close aide of former WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is accused of sexually harassing women grapplers, was elected as the president of the WFI after the panel led by the close aide of Brij Bhushan won 13 of the 15 posts. The wrestlers had demanded that no close associate of Brij Bhushan should enter the WFI administration.
However, the Sports Ministry had later suspended the newly-elected panel for not following the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions and also asked the IOA to constitute an ad-hoc panel to manage the affairs of the sports body. In suspending the fresh panel, the government cited its "hasty announcement" of organising the U-15 and U-20 nationals "without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to wrestlers" for preparations.
Read more:
- 'Will not take back Padma Shri, need to get justice': Bajrang Punia
- Sanjay Singh to meet Sports minister, to seek revocation of WFI's suspension
- Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia leaves Padma Shri on Kartavya Path pavement in protest over election of Sanjay Singh as WFI chief
