New Delhi: Haryana-based fitness influencer, Ankit Baiyanpuria, has claimed that he faced blatant casteism in Haryana akhadas.
Baiyanpuria, in a 40-second video, said that he was deliberately injured by other players on various occasions.
“During the practice, players and even coaches intentionally injured me because of my caste,” the wrestler, who participated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2023 Swachh Bharat drive, said.
‘What is your caste’
The Sonipat-based influencer, who belongs to the Prajapati (OBC) community, spoke about being subjected to casteism while participating in akhadas in Haryana.
Baiyanpuria recounted his experience, where he went to two akhadas for practice, and was immediately asked about his caste.
Expressing his disgust and disappointment, the 27-year-old wrestler alleged that for wrestling in the state, opportunities, respect, and even safety depend on one’s caste.
Following his allegations, social media has been divided on the existence of casteism in today’s world.
“Trump said, “India is a hell-hole. What he meant was that India is a Castiest Hell-hole,” one X user wrote.
Another posted that most people in India think caste does not exist anymore, “until even a famous athlete’s identity gets reduced to ‘what’s your caste’ before his talent.”
“That’s the harsh truth of society — success may earn applause, but caste is still used to decide respect,” the post read.
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2023 Swachh Bharat drive
Baiyanpuria rose to fame after he participated in a 75-day challenge, which focused on mental health and discipline in June 2023. The influencer gives desi solutions for fitness in his videos.
In October 2023, in a video with Modi, he spoke about the correlation between keeping the environment clean and fitness. The video has nearly 9 million views on Instagram.
“Today, as the nation focuses on Swachhata, Ankit Baiyanpuriya and I did the same! Beyond just cleanliness, we blended fitness and well-being also into the mix. It is all about that Swachh and Swasth Bharat vibe!”, Modi wrote on X.
Following the video, his followers went from a million to nearly 4 million in a month. Today, he has around 8 million followers on Instagram and nearly 4.7 lakh subscribers on YouTube.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)