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New Delhi: Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Bajrang Punia on Friday decided to return the prestigious Padma Shri award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a protest after Brij Bhushan Singh\u2019s close aide Sanjay Singh was elected as the President of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).<\/p>\n
A day after teary-eyed Sakshi Malik announced that she was quitting the sport, Bajrang wrote a letter to PM Modi, expressing his disappointment following WFI polls.<\/p>\n
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Punia outlined the reasons behind his decision of returning the prestigious award.<\/p>\n
The wrestling body row, which had been simmering for a while, reached a tipping point for the athlete. Discontent with the management and administration of the sport he loved, Punia felt compelled to take a stand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government and the people gave so much respect. Should I continue to suffocate under the burden of this respect? In the year 2019, I was awarded Padmashri. Also honored with Khel Ratna and Arjun Award. I was very happy when I received this honour. It seemed that life had been successful. But today I am more unhappy than that and these honors are hurting me. There is only one reason, in wrestling for which we get this honor, our fellow women wrestlers have to give up wrestling for their safety,\u201d wrote Bajrang Punia in a letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe \u201crespectable\u201d wrestlers could not do anything. I will not be able to live my life as \u201crespectable\u201d after insulting female wrestlers. Such a life will torment me all my life. That\u2019s why I am returning this \u201chonor\u201d to you,\u201d the letter read.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik announced quitting Wrestling following Sanjay Singh being elected as president of the WFI.<\/p>\n
Sakshi removed her shoes and put it on the dais before leaving the press conference in tears here. \u201cI am dejected and I will not be competing in wrestling anymore,\u201d an emotional Sakshi had said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the end, we slept for 40 days on the roads but I\u2019d like to thank the several people of our country who came to support us during the protests earlier this year. If Brij Bhushan Singh\u2019s business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling\u2026\u201d Malik told media in a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Soon after the election results were announced, Brij Bhushan, unfazed by the allegations against him, proclaimed the victory as a triumph for the country\u2019s wrestlers.<\/p>\n
He expressed hope that the wrestling activities, halted for 11 months during the protests, would now resume under the new leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cA message has been given. Every akhaada (wrestling academy) in the country is bursting firecrackers. Dabdabaa tha, dabdabaa rahega! I want to give the credit of victory to the wrestlers of the country and the electors. I want to thank the government as well. The elections were done on the instructions of the Supreme Court\u2026 the Centre went ahead to make sure elections happened and a non-partisan person was chosen as president,\u201d Brij Bhushan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis \u2018grahan\u2019 (eclipse) of 11 months on wrestling is over. Within 10 days, the landscape of wrestling will change again and we will perform in the Olympics the way people want us to,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
(IANS)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n