HT Digital,
New Delhi, Dec 22: Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia has made public his decision to return the Padma Shri as a form of protest against the election of Sanjay Singh, a loyalist of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India.
Punia used the social media platform X to share a detailed letter directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he announced his intention to return the award because of the perceived injustice towards female wrestlers.
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Punia pointed out that despite promises of strong action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by female wrestlers, no FIR had been lodged even after three months.
In the recent WFI election held in New Delhi, Sanjay Singh defeated Anita Sheoran, a former Commonwealth Games gold medallist, with a vote difference of 33. Following this, Sakshi Malik, another renowned wrestler, expressed her intention to quit wrestling.
The WFI elections, initially scheduled for August 12, had been postponed due to a court order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, extending the stay until September 25.
