Despite the suspension of the newly-elected office bearers of Wrestling Federation of India, wrestler Vinesh Phogat has decided to return her Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards in protest against the election of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh-loyalist Sanjay Singh as the WFI president. This decision comes after Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia and Deaflympics champion Virender Singh Yadav returned their Padma Shri awards. Phogat announced her decision through a letter posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account. She wrote, ‘I am returning my Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award. The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards don’t have any meaning in my life now. Every woman in this country wants to lead a dignified life. So PM sir, I want to return my Dhyan Chand and Arjuna award to you so that these awards don’t become a burden on us in our endeavor to lead a dignified life.’ Vinesh Phogat, who was conferred with the Khel Ratna, the highest sports honor in India, in 2020, and received the Arjuna Award in 2016, made this decision in response to the election of Sanjay Singh as the WFI president. The Sports Ministry has suspended the newly-elected WFI panel for not following the provisions of its own constitution and has asked the IOA to form an ad-hoc panel to manage the affairs of the sports body. The government cited the hasty announcement of organizing the U-15 and U-20 nationals without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to wrestlers for preparations as one of the reasons for the suspension. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by Phogat, Punia, and others, has said that he has nothing to do with wrestling. In the aftermath of the election, Rio Olympics bronze medalist Sakshi Malik announced that she would quit the sport. The Sports Ministry has expressed its willingness to convince the wrestlers to reconsider their decisions and take back their awards. However, Phogat expressed her disappointment with the current situation and urged the Prime Minister to listen to Brij Bhushan’s statements against women wrestlers. She said, ‘The exploiter has declared his dominance and raised slogans in a very crude manner. Just spare 5 minutes of your life and listen to the statements given by that man in the media, you will know what all he has done. He has described women wrestlers as Manthra. He admitted to making women wrestlers uncomfortable on TV openly and didn’t leave even a single opportunity to humiliate the women players. What is more serious is that it has forced many female wrestlers to step back. This is very scary.’ The matter is currently in a Delhi court.