NEW DELHI: Ahead of joining the Congress on Friday, Olympian wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia resigned from their Indian Railway posts.
Notably, Vinesh and Bajrang had participated in the wrestlers’ protest together along with Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik. Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are scheduled to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in Delhi, followed by official joining the party at its headquarters on Friday.
Vinesh took to her official X handle and confirmed that she has resigned from the Indian Railway. “At this juncture in my life, I have decided to separate myself from the railway service and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of Indian Railways. I will always be thankful to the Indian Railways family for giving me the opportunity to serve the nation”, Vinesh wrote on X.
भारतीय रेलवे की सेवा मेरे जीवन का एक यादगार और गौरवपूर्ण समय रहा है।
जीवन के इस मोड़ पर मैंने स्वयं को रेलवे सेवा से पृथक करने का निर्णय लेते हुए अपना त्यागपत्र भारतीय रेलवे के सक्षम अधिकारियों को सौप दिया है। राष्ट्र की सेवा में रेलवे द्वारा मुझे दिये गये इस अवसर के लिए मैं… pic.twitter.com/HasXLH5vBP
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) September 6, 2024
Meanwhile, Bajrang Punia also resigned from the Indian Railways on Friday. On his resignation letter, Bajrang said that he was grateful to the Northern Railways for their guidance.
“I had joined this esteemed service on 13th September, 2014. I am grateful to the Northern Railways for the guidance offered to me in my professional career and I also express my heartfelt gratitude to all who those have worked with me in all my capacities during the course of my employment in the Northern Railways”, Bajrang wrote on the resignation letter.
“I wish to tender my resignation from my post of OSD Sports, Northern Railways, and request you to relieve me of my duties thereto. I have decided to tender my resignation on account of personal reasons and circumstances at my home. I have already informed you verbally regarding this”, he added.
Sources said that Bajrang Punia will not be contesting the Assembly election and he is likely to be appointed as the co-chairman of the campaign committee of Haryana Congress for the Haryana Assembly polls while Vinesh Phogat will contest the election. Her seat will be finalized by the evening.
At the Paris Olympics, Vinesh was disqualified from the 50 kg gold medal bout after she was found to be 100 gms overweight. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) also dismissed her petition to be awarded a joint silver. She announced her retirement from wrestling on August 8, a day after her disqualification. (ANI)