Vinesh Phogat leaves Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award on New Delhi's Kartavya Path pavement

Four days after having written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that she would return her awards, wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Saturday left her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards on Kartavya Path’s pavement in New Delhi. On 26 December, Vinesh had written to PM Modi saying that she was disappointed with the developments around the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), who had announced Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s aide Sanjay Singh as their new president on 21 December. “Sir, our medals and awards are being valued at 15 rupees, but these medals are more precious to us than our lives. When we won medals for the country, the whole nation celebrated us with pride. Now, when we raise our voices for justice, we’re being called traitors. Prime Minister, I want to ask you, are we traitors?,” Vinesh had written in her letter. While attempting to leave her awards outside the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi, Vinesh was stopped by the police at Kartavya Path and decided it to leave her awards on the pavement there. Brij Bhushan had been accused of sexual harassment by some wrestlers in January this year, with Vinesh, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia leading a series of protests against the Bharatiya Janata Party MP. Earlier in December, Bajrang Punia had also returned his Padma Shri award, leaving it on the Kartavya Path pavement. Sakshi Malik, meanwhile, announced her decision to quit wrestling on 21 December. “May this day not come in the life of any player. The women wrestlers of the country are going through the worst phase,” Bajrang had posted on ‘X’ on Saturday.

यह दिन किसी खिलाड़ी के जीवन में न आए। देश की महिला पहलवान सबसे बुरे दौर से गुज़र रही हैं। #vineshphogat pic.twitter.com/bT3pQngUuI

— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) December 30, 2023