Bajrang Punia to return Padma Shri after Sanjay Singh's appointment as WFI chief

Bajrang Punia is the second Indian wrestler to react after Sanjay Singh's appointment as WFI chief.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia has decided to return his Padma Shri, following the appointment of Sanjay Singh as the head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, citing his decision to give back the honour that was bestowed upon him in 2019.

pic.twitter.com/PYfA9KhUg9

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— Bajrang Punia

"We slept on the road for 40 days and a lot of people from several parts of the country came to support us. I want to thank everyone for their support. We fought with all our heart and might but if Brij Bhushan Singh's business partner and a close aide stays as the president of WFI, I will quit wrestling," Malik had said on Thursday.

Singh, who is the vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association and a close aid of former chief Brij Bhushan Singh, was appointed the WFI head on Thursday, which caused an extreme reaction from 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medalist Malik.

"Jinko kushti karni hai woh kushti karein. Jinko rajneeti karni hain woh rajneeti karein. (Wrestlers who want to compete, they should wrestle. Those who want to do politics, should do politics). It’s triumph for thousands of wrestlers in the country who suffered in the past seven-eight months," Singh said after winning the elections by a 40-7 vote count against former India wrestler Anita Sheoran, who was the other competitor in the election.

Will try to persuade Punia to reverse the decision: Sports Ministry

A short while after his decision to return his Padma Shri, sports ministry sources told Moneycontrol that they would try and persuade the wrestler to reverse the decision.

Sources also said that the WFI elections had been held in a fair and democratic manner and it was Punia's personal decision to return the Padma Shri.

Punia, Malik meet Priyanka Gandhi

A day after Singh's appointment as WFI head, both Punia and Malik met Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi in Delhi on Friday.

#WATCH | Wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia met Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today in Delhi.

(Source: Priyanka Gandhi's office) pic.twitter.com/ooDGzse0ZX

— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2023