Shortly after Sakshee Malikkh’s retirement from wrestling and Bajrang Punia’s return of his Padma Shri, Vinesh Phogat, another prominent wrestler involved in protests against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, has declared her decision to give back the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award.
Brij Bhushan, a BJP MP, faced allegations of sexual harassment from several women wrestlers, leading to protests by Ms. Malikkh, Mr. Punia, and Ms. Phogat.
These decisions unfolded rapidly within a span of six days after a panel led by Sanjay Singh, a close associate of Brij Bhushan, secured a landslide victory in the Wrestling Federation of India elections on Thursday, signaling continuity in the leadership. The panel was subsequently suspended by the sports ministry on Sunday.
In an emotionally charged letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Ms. Phogat, a gold medalist in both the Commonwealth and Asian Games, questioned whether women wrestlers were merely meant for government advertisements. She expressed her intent to return the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to avoid becoming a “burden on the path of living with dignity.”
Ms. Phogat highlighted the disparity between the celebratory announcements of female athletes as brand ambassadors and the harsh realities they face. Referring to Brij Bhushan’s post-election remarks, she urged the Prime Minister to spare five minutes to listen to his admissions of making female wrestlers uncomfortable and humiliating them.
She emphasized that the wrestlers, despite struggling for justice for a year, were now being labeled traitors for speaking out. Ms. Phogat posed a direct question to the Prime Minister, asking if raising their voices for justice made them traitors.
Expressing her distress, she stated that no mother would want to see her daughter in such a situation. Ms. Phogat, who had once been ecstatic about receiving the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award, now sees them as meaningless in light of the current reality. She conveyed her desire to return the awards so that they don’t hinder their pursuit of a dignified life.