Babita Phogat wanted to be WFI chief, planned wrestlers' protest against Brij Bhushan: Sakshi Malik
PTC News Desk: Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik has made a big claim, saying BJP's Babita Phogat was the one who pushed wrestlers to start the protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as she wanted to take over his post as president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), India Today reported.
Sakshi Malik said in an interview with India Today TV that Babita Phogat had called a meeting of wrestlers to denounce the federation's alleged misconduct, including cases of molestation.
"Babita Phogat approached us with the idea of protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh because she had her own agenda — she wanted to become WFI president," Sakshi Malik told India Today. "There are allegations that Congress supported our protest, but this is incorrect. In fact, two BJP leaders, Babita Phogat and Tirath Rana, helped us to get permission to protest in Haryana," the Olympic wrestler stated.
Sakshi Malik was one of the three main faces in the protest against Brij Bhushan Singh. Sakshi Malik stated that their protest deteriorated when "people close to" Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat began to fill their minds with "greed".
The three claimed that Brij Bhushan, the former head of the Wrestling Federation of India, sexually harassed women wrestlers throughout his tenure. The case is still being heard in a Delhi court.
The ad-hoc committee that took over wrestling administration following the WFI's suspension spared Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat from the 2023 Asian Games trials, while Sakshi Malik chose not to seek the favour as encouraged by her colleagues.
- PTC NEWS
