Vinesh Phogat Requests Return of Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award in Letter to Prime Minister Modi.
Vinesh Phogat Follows Suit as Bajrang Punia and Virender Singh Yadav Return Padma Shri Awards in Recent Days.
On December 26, Vinesh Phogat, a medallist at the World Championship, announced her decision to return the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to the government. The move is a protest against the election of Sanjay Singh, a loyalist of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Phogat conveyed her decision in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Thursday, Sanjay Singh secured the presidency of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) as the panel led by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's close aide won 13 out of 15 posts.
Wrestlers had expressed concerns, demanding that individuals closely associated with Brij Bhushan should not be part of the WFI administration. Following the election results, Sakshi Malik, the bronze medallist from the Rio Olympics, declared her decision to retire from the sport.
However, the Sports Ministry took action by suspending the newly-elected panel. The suspension was based on the panel's failure to adhere to the provisions of its own constitution while making decisions. Additionally, the ministry urged the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad-hoc panel to oversee the affairs of the sports body.
The government justified the suspension, citing the "hasty announcement" of organizing the U-15 and U-20 nationals without following due procedure and not providing sufficient notice to wrestlers for preparations.
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