Getting justice here will be bigger than winning an Asiad medal: Bajrang Punia

Bajrang Punia with his wife Sangeeta Phogat at the protest site against the president of Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday morning, April 30, 2023.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

With time running out to get back to training and qualifying for the upcoming Asian Games, the protesting wrestlers admit the situation is less than ideal but insist their fight is for a bigger cause.

“We also want to get back to playing and training and get back to our routines. We have been doing only that for years and try to do whatever possible here also. But frankly, if we win justice here I believe it will be bigger than any Asian Games medal,” Bajrang Punia said on Sunday even as their main target, WFI head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh stepped up his own counter-attack and claims of conspiracy.

Bajrang Punia with Vinesh Phogat at the protest site against the president of Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday morning, April 30, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

The Asian Games trials are expected in May and likely to be conducted by the IOA ad-hoc committee formed to conduct WFI elections and enter names for international events. “We are ready for the long haul because we knew before we came here that this was not going to be easy,” he added.

The protest, however, shows no sign of ending anytime soon with the wrestlers insistent on Singh’s arrest before taking any decision. “He wants to give a political colour to this protest and turn it into a different direction but it all started after the SC directed filing of FIR. He started giving statements, activated his supporters on social media, but justice will be done in the court, not the internet,” he declared.

Wrestler Sakshi Malik with her husband Satyawart Kadian at the protest site against the president of Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday morning, April 30, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Asked about the allegations of protesters being present from only one state, Vinesh Phogat retorted, “Nikhat Zareen or Sania Mirza are neither from Haryana nor wrestlers. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra isn’t either. And he says we are playing political games when we don’t even know how many MPS or MLAs are there in the country!”