NEW DELHI: Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Pogat, the three Indian wrestlers protesting against the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Singh, went live on social media on Saturday and fiercely attacked the country’s former Olympic medalist Yogeshwar Dutt. In the video, Sakshi Malik said, ” You are spreading wrong things against us.”
Sakshi Malik said, “When women wrestlers gave their statements in front of the committee, then how can you say that Brij Bhushan Singh is not guilty and we did not get any statements? If you were right, you would have taken our side there and said that the girls have given statements and Brij Bhushan Singh is wrong. You are saying to us that we do not want to give a trial, then let us tell you that we have not told anyone that we do not want to give a trial. We had said that give us time and then take the trial, we had asked for time. You are spreading wrong things against us.”
Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat hit back on Saturday over Yogeshwar Dutt’s statement that the protesting wrestlers were exempted from the trial.
Taking the name of Yogeshwar Dutt, Bajrang Punia said that, “He (Yogeshwar) probably does not know how to read and write and without knowing it, he is doing the work of poisoning the society. He said that our fight is with those who do wrong with women wrestlers and not with them, but still, after the slurs you are speaking against us, it is necessary for us to speak as well.”
Vinesh Phogat said that, “Everyone was together in our fight because they thought we were right. You leaked our statements, but no action was taken against you. You misbehaved with us and never supported us. I didn’t go to play in 2017, so I gave you medical for this because you were also on that committee. You have always done the task of scaring the wrestlers that nothing can happen to Brij Bhushan Singh, do your training. By the way, our fight against Brij Bhushan Singh is going on and it will continue.”
Talking about the year 2010 Asian Games, Bajrang Punia said that, “He (Yogeshwar Dutt) was injured in 2017 and still he kept saying that he will play, but when 10 days were left, he refused to play. What a big betrayal he had done to this country. Bajrang said that Yogeshwar Dutt was also in the team sent to the Commonwealth Games in 2014. There was another wrestler with him, whose name I will not take, both of them used to go to the federation and sit every day and used to say that without trial, do our selection. I would like to ask him what arrows did you shoot after the Olympics and why he wanted your selection without trial. Bajrang said that we three players who are sitting here are not allowed to go to any tournament without trial. The fact that you played the Commonwealth Games in 2014 without trial shows what your relationship was.”
BJP leader Yogeshwar Dutt had said that the committee headed by Bhupender Singh Bajwa has done injustice to the junior wrestlers of the country by taking such a step. He posted a video on Twitter saying that, “I do not understand what criteria the panel has followed in deciding about the trial. That too for all six wrestlers.”
Dutt said that if the panel had to give an exemption for trial, there were many other eligible candidates. Ravi Dahiya is also an Olympic silver medalist and Commonwealth Games gold medalist. Deepak Poonia is the gold medalist of the Commonwealth Games, Anshu Malik is the silver medalist of the World Championship, and Sonam Malik has also achieved many big achievements. (ANI)