The sole Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal declared that she would no longer take the mat if Bhushan’s close aide was elected. There isn’t a more striking contrast than this. The scenes outside the official mansion of outgoing President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, which doubles as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) office, were surreal. Scroll down to read Olympic Medalist Sakshi Quits Wrestling In Agony.
Olympic Medalist Sakshi Quits Wrestling In Agony
Flowers and drums were waiting for Sanjay Singh, the recently elected president, but as soon as Brij Bhushan arrived, it was clear who was in charge. In a technical sense, Brij Bhushan had nothing to do with the polls on Thursday. In addition to not holding any office within the federation, his term as president of the WFI had come to an end, and neither his son nor his son-in-law was a candidate.
Nevertheless, the 66-year-old BJP MP from Kaiserganj, Uttar Pradesh, had his fans bend over themselves to get his blessings when he left his office. He pronounced Sanjay’s victory a “victory for the wrestlers,” looking garlanded and ecstatic.
Three of India’s most experienced wrestlers sat defeated and depressed in the cramped, suffocating first-floor hall of the Press Club of India, a little over 500 meters away. Over this year, the image of Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat speaking to the media as a group has come to symbolize the historic demonstration that the three have led against five-time MP Brij Bhushan.
They broke down, exposing their feelings with raw passion and an agonizing, emotional monologue, not for the first time this year. However, this one seemed different since it had no hope or promise. The three sports icons could have felt alone in the room that was overflowing. They would frequently choke and pause to collect their breath as they talked about their battle with Brij Bhushan. The three started their protest in January, and their accusations astonished the whole country.
Before protesting in January, Phogat and Punia had met with Home Minister Amit Shah, according to Phogat, and they didn’t resort to the streets until all other possibilities had been exhausted.
She claimed that the home minister received the names of the resentful wrestlers together with their complaints about the incidents in an attempt to keep wrestling and women wrestlers alive. “They asked us to wait for three to four weeks. We didn’t start our protest until after three to four months had passed, the woman stated.
Punia, the only wrestler from India to win four medals at the World Championships and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, charged Brij Bhushan with distorting the story of their protest. We attempted to combat a man who we knew was abusing female wrestlers sexually. He made use of his influence to rewrite the history of our conflict with either religion or politics.
The 29-year-old stated, “You saw this, and we saw this. None of us, the coaches, or the wrestlers, are safe in the future. We are all involved in the demonstrations. Any of us could experience anything. It might be an automobile mishap or any type of charge. Now that the nation and I have witnessed his abilities, we all understand how he operates. He broke each of the twenty women’s cases individually when they came forward.”
Malik proceeded to express gratitude to all those who helped the wrestlers during their picket. “We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who helped us at this time. During our sit-in, we got to know people from all walks of life. It was incredibly humble. We mustered a great deal of bravery to take on Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. However, Sanjay Singh, his right-hand guy, has been elected as the new WFI President today. We had asked that a woman be appointed president, but our request has not been met,” Malik continued.
The puncher was over twenty minutes into the punch when the sucker punch arrived. “We fought from our hearts, but if a man like Brij Bhushan, his business partner and close aide, is elected as the president of WFI, I give up wrestling,” said a tearful-eyed Malik, the only Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal. “I will not be on the mat from now on,” she declared, setting her wrestling shoes down on the table.
Her fans’ loud cries urging her not to retire interrupted the moment’s startled hush.
