Babita Phogat | PTI
You recently approached the Punjab and Haryana High Courts seeking promotion to the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
Yes. Despite having won numerous medals for the nation, I have not been given the post which is rightfully mine. In 2010, I got the silver medal in the Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG) and on the basis of that, I got a job in the Haryana Police. After that, I won the bronze at the World Championships in 2012, then again at the Asian Championships next year, and a gold at the 2014 CWG. I am also an Arjuna awardee and qualified for the Olympics in 2016. Just last year, I won the silver at the CWG. ‘Bring the medal, get the post,’ they said in Haryana. In that case, I would have been a DSP by now. But today, despite having won so many medals for the country, I still remain a sub-inspector. Approaching the court was my last resort.
Your sister, Geeta Phogat, too, had to fight for her rights....
Yes, she, too, had fought a similar case in 2016, and that is how she became the DSP at that time. She, too, was the rightful candidate at the time. I gave her example in my application, which I had sent to all relevant officials. But they did not reply, after which I had to take this step. According to me, it is nothing but politics at play. What other reason can there be for not giving us what we rightfully deserve?
What are you preparing for now?
I am the first woman wrestler who has won three medals in the last three CWGs. But the dream is to make the cut for the 2020 Olympics.
You were going to start a wrestling academy in Bengaluru.
An MLA from Bengaluru had voluntarily announced that we would be given some land for starting an academy. But I never heard from him after that.
Tell us about the bond between you and your five sisters, all of whom are wrestlers.
We are like friends and train together. We are our worst enemies in the ring and the best friends outside. We never quite miss the company of an outsider, because we have all been living together since childhood. Of course, we have our disagreements, but there is fun in that, too.