'Girls will be harassed again': Sakshi Malik retires as Brij Bhushan associate wins WFI polls
Sanjay Singh elections: Vinesh Phogat said women wrestlers will now face exploitation.
New Delhi: Olympic medal winner Sakshi Malik has announced her retirement from wrestling in the wake of the election of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's alleged loyalist Sanjay Singh as the Wrestling Federation of India's president. International wrestler Sangeeta Phogat said women wrestlers “will be harassed again”.
"We gathered a lot of courage for this fight against the WFI President (Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh). But today, his right hand (referring to Sanjay Singh) has been elected as the new WFI President. We had demanded a woman be made the president, but that has not been fulfilled," said Malik.
Sangeeta Phogat said the wrestlers didn't get justice.
"It's unfortunate that such people are getting elected to such positions in the country. Now, girls will be harassed again. It's sad that even after fighting against it, we couldn't bring any changes. I don't know how to get justice in our own country," she added.
Meanwhile, Vinesh Phogat said women wrestlers will now face exploitation.
Referring to the wrestlers' massive protest against the BJP MP over alleged sexual harassment by the BJP MP, wrestler Bajrang Punia said the government didn't fulfil its promise.
"We were fighting for truth and women, else we were also active athletes and winning medals for the country. I don't think the daughters will get justice because the way this system has worked, efforts are being made to break the daughters. Still, we have faith in the judiciary," he said.
Sanjay Singh on Thursday became the new President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Singh secured 40 votes against 7 won by his rival Anita Sheoran.
Sanjay Singh is a close associate of Bhushan, PTI reported.
"It's a triumph for thousands of wrestlers in the country who suffered in the past 7-8 months," Sanjay Singh told reporters after his huge win.
"We will respond to politics with politics and wrestling with wrestling," he added.
The wrestlers had accused Bhushan of harassing wrestlers. On May 28, their weeks-long protest ended abruptly after the Delhi police removed them from Jantar Mantar.
With inputs from PTI