<p>Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik on Tuesday (Oct 22) alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babita Phogat was one of the prime figures behind the 2023 wrestlers' protest. Sakshi, one of the faces behind the agitation, along with Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, claimed that they were helped by Babita and Tirath Rana to get permission for the protest.&nbsp;According to Sakshi, Babita’s motive was to dethrone then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by wrestlers.</p>

<h2><strong>Sakshi makes massive revelation</strong></h2>

<p>“Babita Phogat approached us with the idea of protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh because she had her own agenda — she wanted to become the WFI president. There are rumours that Congress supported our protest, but that’s false. In fact, two BJP leaders helped us secure permission to protest in Haryana – Babita Phogat and Tirath Rana,” Malik said while speaking to India Today.</p>

<p>In 2023, the wrestlers’ protest occupied political centrestage, with more than 40 athletes protesting against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was a MP from the ruling party BJP. The protest started in January 2023, with Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat (Babita's cousin sister) leading the protest.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/rohit-sharma-lauds-sarfaraz-pant-for-mature-knocks-backs-india-to-give-it-all-in-remaining-two-tests-vs-nz-769154">Rohit Sharma lauds Sarfaraz, Pant for mature knocks; backs India to give it all in remaining two Tests vs NZ</a></strong></p>

<p>The revelation has sparked a huge debate, raising a potential conflict between Babita and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who both belong to the BJP. Since the wrestlers’ protest, plenty of water has flown under the bridge, with Vinesh qualifying for the gold medal match of the women’s 50kg category at the Paris Olympics before being disqualified for being overweight. On the other hand, Bajrang was unable to secure qualification for the Paris Games.</p>

<p>Interestingly, Vinesh later joined the opposition party Indian National Congress (INC), contested the Haryana assembly elections, and won from the Julana seat with over 6000 votes on her political and electoral debut.</p>


Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik on Tuesday (Oct 22) alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babita Phogat was one of the prime figures behind the 2023 wrestlers' protest.

Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik on Tuesday (Oct 22) alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babita Phogat was one of the prime figures behind the 2023 wrestlers' protest. Sakshi, one of the faces behind the agitation, along with Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, claimed that they were helped by Babita and Tirath Rana to get permission for the protest. According to Sakshi, Babita’s motive was to dethrone then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by wrestlers. Sakshi makes massive revelation “Babita Phogat approached us with the idea of protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh because she had her own agenda — she wanted to become the WFI president. There are rumours that Congress supported our protest, but that’s false. In fact, two BJP leaders helped us secure permission to protest in Haryana – Babita Phogat and Tirath Rana,” Malik said while speaking to India Today. In 2023, the wrestlers’ protest occupied political centrestage, with more than 40 athletes protesting against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was a MP from the ruling party BJP. The protest started in January 2023, with Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat (Babita's cousin sister) leading the protest. ALSO READ | Rohit Sharma lauds Sarfaraz, Pant for mature knocks; backs India to give it all in remaining two Tests vs NZ The revelation has sparked a huge debate, raising a potential conflict between Babita and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who both belong to the BJP. Since the wrestlers’ protest, plenty of water has flown under the bridge, with Vinesh qualifying for the gold medal match of the women’s 50kg category at the Paris Olympics before being disqualified for being overweight. On the other hand, Bajrang was unable to secure qualification for the Paris Games. Interestingly, Vinesh later joined the opposition party Indian National Congress (INC), contested the Haryana assembly elections, and won from the Julana seat with over 6000 votes on her political and electoral debut.

‘Babita Phogat wanted to become WFI president,’ Sakshi Malik makes massive revelation on wrestlers’ protest

<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 saga surrounding the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections has finally come to an end as Sanjay Singh officially succeeds outgoing President Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan. The news came on Thursday (Dec 21) afternoon after the elections were held in the national capital New Delhi. With the vote counting taking place immediately in the aftermath of the elections, Sanjay Singh gained the majority votes to succeed his close friend and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Brij Bhushan.</p>

<h2><strong>Sanjay Singh succeeds Brij Bhushan</strong></h2>

<p>With the election dates continuously getting postponed for several reasons, the WFI elections were finally held on Thursday with Sanjay Singh and Anita Sheoran battling for the top post. Elections were also held for 14 other posts.</p>

<p>While Anita was bidding to become the first female to become the president of the much talked WFI, Sanjay had the backing of former president Brij Bhushan Singh. Sanjay is also the incumbent president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Federation.</p>

<p>However, in a tightly contested battle, Sanjay was elected as the President of the WFI. With a new president, the ban imposed by the United World Wrestling (UWW) may now be lifted with much relief to Indian sports. Wrestlers were earlier banned from competing under Indian&nbsp;flag in wrestling due to the ban imposed by the UWW on WFI.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/bbl-sydney-sixers-tom-curran-faces-four-match-ban-for-umpire-intimidation-club-to-lodge-appeal-672094">BBL: Sydney Sixers' Tom Curran faces four-match ban for umpire intimidation, club to lodge appeal</a></p>

<h2><strong>Year of chaos for WFI</strong></h2>

<p>The protests had begun in January 2023 with top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and others at&nbsp;the epicenter. 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, but the attention later switched to the holy city of Haridwar (210 km North of New Delhi) where the wrestlers threatened&nbsp;to throw away their medals in the Ganges in a mark of protest against Brij Bhushan.</p>

<p>Protests were also held during the inauguration of the new parliament building in New Delhi on May 28.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India’s Sports Minister and the Olympic Association of India then formed separate committees to investigate the matter independently. The elections were then scheduled to be held in June, but interference from several state wrestling federations and court orders delayed the elections until December.</p>


The saga surrounding the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections has finally come to an end as Sanjay Singh officially succeeds outgoing President Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan.

The saga surrounding the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections has finally come to an end as Sanjay Singh officially succeeds outgoing President Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan. The news came on Thursday (Dec 21) afternoon after the elections were held in the national capital New Delhi. With the vote counting taking place immediately in the aftermath of the elections, Sanjay Singh gained the majority votes to succeed his close friend and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Brij Bhushan. Sanjay Singh succeeds Brij Bhushan With the election dates continuously getting postponed for several reasons, the WFI elections were finally held on Thursday with Sanjay Singh and Anita Sheoran battling for the top post. Elections were also held for 14 other posts. While Anita was bidding to become the first female to become the president of the much talked WFI, Sanjay had the backing of former president Brij Bhushan Singh. Sanjay is also the incumbent president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Federation. However, in a tightly contested battle, Sanjay was elected as the President of the WFI. With a new president, the ban imposed by the United World Wrestling (UWW) may now be lifted with much relief to Indian sports. Wrestlers were earlier banned from competing under Indian flag in wrestling due to the ban imposed by the UWW on WFI. ALSO READ | BBL: Sydney Sixers' Tom Curran faces four-match ban for umpire intimidation, club to lodge appeal Year of chaos for WFI The protests had begun in January 2023 with top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and others at the epicenter. 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, but the attention later switched to the holy city of Haridwar (210 km North of New Delhi) where the wrestlers threatened to throw away their medals in the Ganges in a mark of protest against Brij Bhushan. Protests were also held during the inauguration of the new parliament building in New Delhi on May 28. India’s Sports Minister and the Olympic Association of India then formed separate committees to investigate the matter independently. The elections were then scheduled to be held in June, but interference from several state wrestling federations and court orders delayed the elections until December.

Sanjay Singh succeeds Brij Bhushan Singh as new WFI president, paves way to lift ban on organisation

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‘Babita Phogat wanted to become WFI president,’ Sakshi Malik makes massive revelation on wrestlers’ protest

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

Sanjay Singh succeeds Brij Bhushan Singh as new WFI president, paves way to lift ban on organisation