<p>Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat will return her prestigious Arjuna Award and Khel Ranta Award in a mark of protest against the now-suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) body. This follows after veteran wrestler Bajrang Punia on Friday (Dec 22) had decided to abandon his Padma Shri Award on a footpath near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. Unlike Bajrang, Vinesh penned an emotional letter to the Indian PM seeking his attention to the matter.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">मैं अपना मेजर ध्यानचंद खेल रत्न और अर्जुन अवार्ड वापस कर रही हूँ।<br />
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इस हालत में पहुँचाने के लिए ताकतवर का बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/KlhJzDPu9D">pic.twitter.com/KlhJzDPu9D</a></p>
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) <a href="https://twitter.com/Phogat_Vinesh/status/1739640335356358746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<h2><strong>Vinesh pens note</strong></h2>

<p>“Sakshi Malik has quit wrestling, and Bajrang Punia has returned his Padma Shri. The entire country knows the reasons why athletes who won Olympic medals for the country had to take such steps, and being the leader of the nation, you must also be aware of this matter. Prime Minister, I am Vinesh Phogat, a daughter of your country, and I'm writing this letter to tell you about the condition I've been in for the past year,” Vinesh wrote in Hindi with a port on her X handle.</p>

<h2><strong>Punia returns Padma Shri</strong></h2>

<p>On Friday evening, Punia with his aides turned to the footpath near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence where he was seen abandoning his Padma Shri. He was seen with an emotional touch while rejecting a request from the authorities to take back the award. However, he rejected the request and abandoned the award by keeping it on the footpath. He was also seen joining his hands in request to allow him to leave the area while refusing to take back his honour.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-south-africa-dealt-huge-blow-on-day-1-vs-india-as-temba-bavuma-limps-off-with-hamstring-issue-673750">WATCH: South Africa dealt huge blow on Day 1 vs India as Temba Bavuma limps off with hamstring issue</a></p>

<h2><strong>What was the case?</strong></h2>

<p>The new WFI chief, Sanjay Singh, a close aide of former President Brij Bhushan Singh, saw off competition from Anita Sheoran to win the top post on Thursday. In protest, Bajranj decided to return his Padma Shri honour as he did not support newly elected member Sanjay Singh. On Friday, he tweeted about returning the honour in a mark of protest against the new panel.</p>

<p>With the vote counting taking place immediately in the aftermath of the elections on Thursday, Sanjay Singh gained 40 votes out of 47 to succeed his close friend Brij Bhushan.</p>

<h2><strong>Year of chaos for WFI</strong></h2>

<p>The protests had begun in January 2023 by top wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and others in the epicentre. The cluster of top wrestlers wanted then-President Brij Bhushan to be thrown out of power for sexual harassment charges against him. The protests were first held at the iconic Jantar Mantar in New Delhi while the attention then switched to the holy city of Haridwar (210 km North of New Delhi). Protesters even protested in New Delhi during the inauguration of the new parliament building of India on May 28.</p>


Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat will return her prestigious Arjuna Award and Khel Ranta Award in a mark of protest against the now-suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) body.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat will return her prestigious Arjuna Award and Khel Ranta Award in a mark of protest against the now-suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) body. This follows after veteran wrestler Bajrang Punia on Friday (Dec 22) had decided to abandon his Padma Shri Award on a footpath near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. Unlike Bajrang, Vinesh penned an emotional letter to the Indian PM seeking his attention to the matter. मैं अपना मेजर ध्यानचंद खेल रत्न और अर्जुन अवार्ड वापस कर रही हूँ। इस हालत में पहुँचाने के लिए ताकतवर का बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद 🙏 pic.twitter.com/KlhJzDPu9D — Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) December 26, 2023 × Vinesh pens note “Sakshi Malik has quit wrestling, and Bajrang Punia has returned his Padma Shri. The entire country knows the reasons why athletes who won Olympic medals for the country had to take such steps, and being the leader of the nation, you must also be aware of this matter. Prime Minister, I am Vinesh Phogat, a daughter of your country, and I'm writing this letter to tell you about the condition I've been in for the past year,” Vinesh wrote in Hindi with a port on her X handle. Punia returns Padma Shri On Friday evening, Punia with his aides turned to the footpath near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence where he was seen abandoning his Padma Shri. He was seen with an emotional touch while rejecting a request from the authorities to take back the award. However, he rejected the request and abandoned the award by keeping it on the footpath. He was also seen joining his hands in request to allow him to leave the area while refusing to take back his honour. ALSO READ | WATCH: South Africa dealt huge blow on Day 1 vs India as Temba Bavuma limps off with hamstring issue What was the case? The new WFI chief, Sanjay Singh, a close aide of former President Brij Bhushan Singh, saw off competition from Anita Sheoran to win the top post on Thursday. In protest, Bajranj decided to return his Padma Shri honour as he did not support newly elected member Sanjay Singh. On Friday, he tweeted about returning the honour in a mark of protest against the new panel. With the vote counting taking place immediately in the aftermath of the elections on Thursday, Sanjay Singh gained 40 votes out of 47 to succeed his close friend Brij Bhushan. Year of chaos for WFI The protests had begun in January 2023 by top wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and others in the epicentre. The cluster of top wrestlers wanted then-President Brij Bhushan to be thrown out of power for sexual harassment charges against him. The protests were first held at the iconic Jantar Mantar in New Delhi while the attention then switched to the holy city of Haridwar (210 km North of New Delhi). Protesters even protested in New Delhi during the inauguration of the new parliament building of India on May 28.

Vinesh Phogat to return Arjuna, Khel Ratna Award in stand against WFI election; pens emotional note to PM Modi

<p>The Ad-hoc Committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Wednesday postponed the elections of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by five days. Now, the election will not be held on July 6. The Committee informed that the elections will be held on July 11. Five unaffiliated state bodies presented their case at the hearing demanding voting rights for elections. For this reason, the ad-hoc committee took this decision.</p>

<p>A few members also raised objections during the hearing that there’s a possibility of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s family members being allowed to vote in the elections. Not only this but the members have also alleged that his family members have been illegally appointed to the state association.</p>

<p>State units have presented their case</p>

<p>The three-member committee was approached by unaffiliated state bodies in Maharashtra, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. Retired High Court Justice MM Kumar is included in this committee too, which had called these units for a hearing on July 21.</p>

<p>“The state units presented their case, while the representatives of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) defended their decision to disaffiliate these bodies,” a source told news agency PTI. Time is needed and so the elections have been postponed till July 11.</p>

<p>Wrestlers began protesting on January 18</p>

<p>India's top wrestlers have been protesting for days for the election of the Wrestling Federation and the removal of office bearers including President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The wrestlers had accused some of the team's coaches, including Brij Bhushan Sharan, of sexual harassment.</p>

<p>Indian wrestlers like Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia were openly fighting against Brij Bhushan Singh for 138 days. For the first time on January 18, the wrestlers sat on strike, and on April 23 started the strike for the second time. After this, the wrestlers clashed with the police. There was also an FIR against the wrestlers, but the protests continued.</p>

<p>However, after a meeting between the wrestlers and Home Minister Amit Shah, the story changed and the wrestlers returned to work. In the meeting held with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, many issues were discussed and some matters were agreed upon. Then the wrestlers agreed not to protest till June 15.</p>


Allegations of illegal appointments and voting concerns surround Indian Wrestling Federation elections.

The Ad-hoc Committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Wednesday postponed the elections of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by five days. Now, the election will not be held on July 6. The Committee informed that the elections will be held on July 11. Five unaffiliated state bodies presented their case at the hearing demanding voting rights for elections. For this reason, the ad-hoc committee took this decision. A few members also raised objections during the hearing that there’s a possibility of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s family members being allowed to vote in the elections. Not only this but the members have also alleged that his family members have been illegally appointed to the state association. State units have presented their case The three-member committee was approached by unaffiliated state bodies in Maharashtra, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. Retired High Court Justice MM Kumar is included in this committee too, which had called these units for a hearing on July 21. “The state units presented their case, while the representatives of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) defended their decision to disaffiliate these bodies,” a source told news agency PTI. Time is needed and so the elections have been postponed till July 11. Wrestlers began protesting on January 18 India's top wrestlers have been protesting for days for the election of the Wrestling Federation and the removal of office bearers including President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The wrestlers had accused some of the team's coaches, including Brij Bhushan Sharan, of sexual harassment. Indian wrestlers like Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia were openly fighting against Brij Bhushan Singh for 138 days. For the first time on January 18, the wrestlers sat on strike, and on April 23 started the strike for the second time. After this, the wrestlers clashed with the police. There was also an FIR against the wrestlers, but the protests continued. However, after a meeting between the wrestlers and Home Minister Amit Shah, the story changed and the wrestlers returned to work. In the meeting held with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, many issues were discussed and some matters were agreed upon. Then the wrestlers agreed not to protest till June 15.

Indian Wrestling Federation elections postponed by 5 days

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Vinesh Phogat to return Arjuna, Khel Ratna Award in stand against WFI election; pens emotional note to PM Modi

Indian Wrestling Federation elections postponed by 5 days