World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday wrote an emotional letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying she was returning her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to the government.
Her move comes less than a week after Sakshi Malikkh announced her retirement from wrestling and Bajrang Punia returned his Padma Shri, protesting against the election of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh-loyalist Sanjay Singh as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president.
In her letter, which she has posted on X, Phogat asked whether women wrestlers were made only to grace government advertisements. The wrestler said she was returning the awards so that they don't become a "burden on the path of living with dignity".
Sanjay Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan—who is facing sexual harassment allegations from multiple women wrestlers—was elected as the president of the WFI of Thursday. According to reports, 13 of the 15 posts of the panel were won by Bri Bhushan’s close associates.
The wrestlers had demanded that no close associate of Brij Bhushan should enter the WFI administration.
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Following protests from the wrestlers, the Union sports ministry on Saturday suspended the newly-elected wrestling body for not following the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions.
The ministry also asked the Indian Olympic Association (IPA) to constitute an ad-hoc panel to manage the affairs of the sports body.
In her letter to the prime minister, Phogat said wrestlers were considered the country's pride when they won medals, but are now being labelled as traitors because they spoke out for justice.
Mentioning the decisions taken by Sakshi Malikkh and Bajrang Punia, Phogat said the whole country knows why the players who won Olympic medals were forced to do all this.
“You are the head of the country, so this matter must have reached you, too. Prime Minister, I am Vinesh Phogat, a daughter of your house and I am writing this letter to you to tell you about the condition I have been in for the past one year,” she said.
Phogat also mentioned the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign of which the government had appointed Sakshi Malikkh as the brand ambassador after she won a medal in the Olympics.
“When this was announced, all the women players of the country were happy and were sending congratulatory messages to each other. Today, ever since Sakshi had to leave wrestling, I am remembering that year 2016 again and again. Are we female players made only to appear on government advertisements?,” she asked.