Wrestler Vinesh Phogat Writes To Prime Minister Modi, Says Will Return National Awards

Following Sakshee Malikkh’s announcement of her retirement from wrestling in protest against the former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Vinesh Phogat, the third-best wrestler of the country announced that she would return her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award supporting the former’s protest against Brij Bhushan. The fresh protests which were there in the headlines recently were due to the succession of Sanjay Singh, a close friend of Brij Bhushan as the chief of the wrestler’s federation after his winning of the wrestlers’ federation’s election. However, on Sunday, the newly elected panel was suspended by the ministry.

The BJP MP Brit Bhushan had been accused of sexual harassment by several women wrestlers and the Phogat was at the forefront of the protest against Bhushan.

In the letter to Prime Minister Modi, Phogat questioned whether the women wrestlers were made only to grace government advertisements, noting that she is returning the Khel Ratna award so that they don’t become a “burden on the path of living with dignity”

“Every woman wants to live life with respect. Thus, Prime Minister sir, I want to return my Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to you so that these awards do not become a burden on us in the path of living with dignity,” she wrote.

Phogat had won gold medals at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games and now returning country’s higher sporting honour that she got. She wrote that the wrestlers are regarded as the country’s pride when they bring medals for the country, and now they are being labelled as traitors just because they spoke for justice. She also asked the Prime minister if they were traitors.

“I remember the year 2016 when Sakshee Malikkh won a medal in the Olympics, your government named her the brand ambassador of “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao”. 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 again and again. Are we women players made only to appear in government advertisements.”

The decision of the wrestler shows that the latest decision by the sports ministry to suspend the wrestlers’ federation is not for what they protested.