The release of Sakshi Malik’s autobiography, ‘Witness’ has created a controversy, raising tensions within the wrestling community and beyond. Malik, the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling, made several claims in her book, accusing fellow wrestlers and political figures of tarnishing the wrestlers protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and a sitting BJP MP.
Malik alleges that wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia avoided participating in trials for the 2023 Asian Games due to greed, a decision she believes marred the integrity of the wrestler’s movement, which had aimed to address the sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Malik wrote, ‘Their decision to skip the trials did not have a positive impact and severely tarnished the image of their protest, leading many supporters to believe that the protest was for personal gain’.
Revelations from ‘Witness’ are:
. Malik claims that Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat skipped the 2023 Asian Games under the influence of certain individuals. She was also asked to skip the trials but refused. Malik believes this decision caused damage to the wrestler’s movement.
Malik revealed that the protest against Brij Bhushan was not initially her idea. She writes, ‘About 3-4 days before the protest, Babita Phogat called to ask if I was coming’. As per Malik, Tirth Rana, a BJP leader, secured permission for the protest. The goal was to remove Brij Bhushan and ensure one of the protesting wrestlers took over his position.
Malik addresses rumours of a conspiracy against Vinesh Phogat at the Para Olympics. She states, ‘There was no conspiracy against Vinesh, clarifying that Phogat’s struggles with weight during the event were well within the rules of United World Wrestling (UWW).
Malik shares a deeply personal account of her childhood, describing how a tuition teacher harassed her. He would call me to his house without notice and sometimes tried to touch me, she recalls.
Haryana BJP President Mohan Lal Baroli attempted to de-escalate the mounting tensions by advising the parties involved to refrain from public mudslinging. Baroli said, ‘Babita Phogat is an honest, hardworking and clean image leader’. ‘As a player myself, I would like to tell all players to move forward with good intentions and avoid negative allegations’.
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