Vinesh Phogat’s Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards are seen at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi on December 30, 2023 after the wrestler left them there as a mark of protest. Photo: X/@BajrangPunia through ANI
Multiple World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat on Saturday returned her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award, conserving the 2 awards mendacity in the course of nationwide capital’s Kartavya Path after Delhi Police stopped her from reaching the Prime Minister’s workplace.
On Tuesday, the Asian Games gold medallist grappler had determined to return her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to the federal government, saying such honours have turn into meaningless at a time when wrestlers are struggling to get justice.
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat walks together with her Arjuna and Khel Ratna Awards, India’s highest nationwide sports activities awards, earlier than leaving them on a pavement close to the Prime Minister’s workplace as a mark of protest in New Delhi on December 30, 2023.
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PTI
Ms. Phogat had introduced her choice in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Saturday, she tried to achieve the Prime Minister’s workplace to return her awards however the police prevented her from reaching the PMO.
As a mark of protest, she left the awards at the Kartavya Path and they have been later picked up by Delhi Police.
Ms. Phogat, together with Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, had protested towards the election of Sanjay Singh, a detailed aide of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who had been accused of sexual harassment by the three well-known grapplers.
Sakshi had additionally introduced her retirement from wrestling quickly after Sanjay Singh’s appointment as WFI Chief.
Also learn | Bajrang Punia urges Sports Ministry to restart wrestling actions in view of Paris Olympics
However, the Sports Ministry had later suspended the newly-elected panel for not following the provisions of its personal structure whereas taking choices whereas asking the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to represent an ad-hoc panel to handle the affairs of the sports activities physique.
In her letter posted on X, previously Twitter, Ms. Phogat had mentioned that their lives should not like these “fancy government advertisements” that discuss girls’s empowerment and upliftment.
Acting on the sports activities ministry directive, the IOA on Wednesday constituted a three-member advert hoc committee to run the day-to-day affairs of the WFI.
