Getting justice for India’s daughters will be bigger medal than Asian Games: Bajrang Punia | More sports News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Vinesh Phogat is down with a bout of fever but still holding strong in her fight for justice. Bajrang Punia is getting restless over police’s inaction against Brij Bhushan. And Sakshee Malikkh can’t control her tears every time she sees videos of BJP-strongman and WFI‘s sidelined president being garlanded or hoisted on shoulders by his group of supporters in his parliamentary constituency of Gonda in Uttar Pradesh.
The three champion wrestlers are at the forefront of the ongoing protest against Singh, who is facing serious allegations of sexual harassment by the country’s women athletes. It’s been a full one week since the wrestlers started their sit-in against Singh at Jantar Mantar here and are still waiting for the Delhi police to arrest or summon Singh for questioning after the filing of an FIR against him two days ago on the Supreme Court‘s nudge.

The wrestlers know the odds are somewhat stacked against them given the political clout Singh enjoys but they are not yet ready to give up on their resolve to watch the six-time Lok Sabha MP behind bars. Bajrang, Vinesh and Sakshee unanimously say that they are ready for a long haul, even if they have to spend countless nights on the streets under the open sky, enduring mosquito bites.
For Bajrang, ensuring justice for women wrestlers will be a far bigger takeaway for him than winning a medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. “We want to play and train for the Asian Games. We train at Jantar Mantar as and when we get a chance. But getting justice for India’s daughters will be a bigger medal for me than the Asian Games,” said Bajrang, the reigning Asiad champion.
“We have full faith in the judiciary and the Supreme Court. This is a battle for justice for India’s daughters. Till the time we get it, we will continue our struggle. We are ready for the long haul no matter how long we have to fight,” he remarked.

On Sunday, #Arrest_Brij Bhushan_Now was the top trending twitter hashtag in India ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s #MannKiBaat100.
Bajrang also countered Singh’s comments to mediapersons on Saturday and Sunday that the women wrestlers who have complained against him are from one family and the same akhada in Haryana. “He wants to give this struggle a different colour. The day FIR was filed against him, he activated his IT Cell to run a defamatory campaign against us. But justice cannot be served on the basis of his tweets. We trust the SC to deliver justice.”
“Brij Bhushan is claiming that we want to take over the federation. If anyone wants to hold an office in the federation, that individual has to hold a position in the state association as well. We don’t want to rule the federation. It’s him who wants to control it through his proxies. He says that his three terms are over, but his son is the president of the UP wrestling association and its secretary is his brother-in-law. In Bihar, his son-in-law holds an office. All parivaarvaad is happening at his end but he is accusing us of it. The entire country is our family,” Bajrang added.
Bajrang later accused the country’s media of supporting Singh more than the wrestlers’ movement and requested them to refrain from covering him. “The media is supporting Brij Bhushan more than us. Look at his criminal records. Does any wrestler sitting here have a criminal record? He is questioning the people who bring medals to the country? Please don’t give a man like him your platform.”
Vinesh added, “If the SC decision comes against us, please feel free to garland him. We see that he is being garlanded every day. What has he done to deserve that?”