New Delhi: Soon after posting on X his intention to return his Padma Shri Friday, Bajrang Punia reached Kartavya Path at around 5.30 pm to meet PM Narendra Modi to hand over the award. However, he wasn’t allowed to meet the PM without a prior appointment. Punia then proceeded to leave his award near South Block on Kartavya Path.
Speaking to ThePrint, Punia said: “They didn’t let me go ahead, so I kept the Padma Shri on the stairs of South Block and asked police personnel there to send it to PM Modi.”
“There’s no andolan (protest) from here on. The fight will continue in the courts now. But for now, it is what it is. We won’t be protesting any longer.”
Punia’s X post declaring his intention to return the award came a day after Sanjay Singh, a long-time aide of BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was selected as the new president of the wrestling body. Brij Bhushan had to step down from the post after several women wrestlers had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against him.
“There’s no point in having any ‘samman’ in a country that doesn’t respect its sisters and daughters,” he said.
“I don’t know if Vinesh (Phogat) and Sakshee (Malikkh) will return any awards. That’s their decision,” Punia added.
Sources in the police say that the Padma Shri is with the New Delhi police.
ThePrint reached the Parliament Street police station to confirm if the award was indeed confiscated by them. This report will be updated if and when a statement is received.
Case of the missing medals
In May, wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshee Malikkh and Punia had decided to immerse their medals in the Ganges in Haridwar in protest but were dissuaded by senior Jat leaders and coaches.
After they sat on the banks of the Ganges for hours, senior Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Naresh Tikait intervened and took their medals. Soon after this, mahapanchayats were conducted in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana on the next steps to continue the wrestlers’ protest against Brij Bhushan.
The Olympic medals have since been returned to the wrestlers, confirmed Punia.
The agitation, however, was discontinued after a breakthrough was achieved following a round of talks with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
On Thursday, Mallikh, too had announced her decision to quit wrestling following Sanjay Singh’s win.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray)
Medal winners can’t fetch votes to ruling government, so why would anybody listen to them. Brij Bhushan is more popular among masses after rape charges against it.