NEW DELHI, March 4: Olympic bronze-winning grappler Sakshi Malik on Monday ruled out a return to competitive wrestling, saying the long-standing protest against former national federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment has left her mentally tormented.
The 31-year-old Malik had announced retirement in December last year after Sharan Singh’s close aide Sanjay Singh was elected president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in a tearful press conference.
She, along with another Olympic-bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, have been protesting for months, demanding Sharan Singh’s removal and arrest.
“It’s been more than a year, there is so much mental pressure and we have been trying to fight in every possible way to make this protest a success, so I’ll not be able to continue wrestling,” Malik said in a panel discussion on the impact of the #MeToo movement in India. “I got (Olympic) bronze for India and I want my juniors to get silver and gold. I would love to see each and every girl in India pursuing her dreams,” she added.
Mailk, Punia and Phogat have continued protesting against Sharan Singh even after his removal as WFI head.
They have alleged that the new federation president is merely a figure-head and Sharan Singh is actually calling the shots.
Her refusal to come out of retirement rules Malik out of this month’s national trials for the Olympic qualifiers. Punia has already withdrawn.The WFI was recently granted a reprieve when the provisional suspension on it was lifted by UWW on the condition that the protesting wrestlers would be invited for all trials and there would be no discrimination.
Delhi HC asks Centre, WFI to reply to wrestlers’ plea
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought responses of the Centre and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on a petition filed by wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian for declaring as illegal the December 2023 elections held by the sports body and setting it aside.Justice Sachin Datta issued notice to the Central government, WFI and Ad-Hoc Committee of WFI on the petition.
The court granted time to the central government’s standing counsel Anil Soni to get instructions in the matter and listed the plea for further hearing on March 7. (PTI)
