Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik issued a warning to the government after the United World Wrestling (UWW) lifted the ban on the Wrestling Federation of India. Not only this but Malik and Punia also alleged that the WFI Chief Sanjay Singh used unethical means to get the ban lifted. The UWW lifted the provisional suspension on the Indian governing wrestling body; however, it also directed the federation to provide written guarantees.
According to it, the Indian wrestling body would have to ensure that there would be no discriminatory action against the wrestlers trio of Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat. In a video posted on X, Malik said, “We came to know yesterday that Sanjay Singh had done some setting with UWW to get the suspension lifted. Brij Bhushan and Sanjay Singh have left no stone unturned to show that they are above the law.”
Warning the government, she said, “I urge the government to make sure that Brij Bhushan or his group are banned from the federation and good people are entrusted with the task Otherwise, we will have to restart the path of protest.”
They want to maintain their hold over the federation: Bajrang Punia
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia shared a video on X and said that they will soon talk to those who were a part of their protests in the coming days. He said, “2 to 3 days ago, they appointed Brij Bhushan’s son as UP federation chief despite him saying nobody from his family will be associated with wrestling. The government promised us and Brij Bhushan’s associates and family members will not be allowed anywhere near the federation.”
He added, “I request the government to take a decision. We will talk to everyone who was part of our protests soon. We request the government to not force us to start our protests again.