Deaf wrestler Virender Singh, popularly generally known as Goonga Pahalwan, stated that he’ll return his Padma Shri in solidarity with the protesting grapplers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, on Friday.
Singh took to his social media account X, previously known as Twitter, to announce his determination simply hours after Punia left his Padma Shri on a footpath outdoors Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence.
“I can even return my Padma Shri to the honourable Prime Minister, for my sister and the nation’s daughter,” Singh wrote. “I’m happy with my sister.”
Singh additionally tagged high Indian sportspersons Sachin Tendulkar and Neeraj Chopra for his or her assist.
“I’d additionally request the highest gamers of the nation Sachin Tendulkar, Neeraj Chopra to present their determination,” he wrote.
मैं भी अपनी बहन और देश की बेटी के लिए पदम् श्री लौटा दूँगा, माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी को, मुझे गर्व है आपकी बेटी और अपनी बहन @SakshiMalik पर… जी क्यों…?
पर देश के सबसे उच्च खिलाड़ियों से भी अनुरोध करूँगा वो भी अपना निर्णय दे…@sachin_rt @Neeraj_chopra1 pic.twitter.com/MfVeYdqnkL
— Virender Singh (@GoongaPahalwan) December 22, 2023
Singh is a three-time Deaflympics gold medallist and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2021. He’s additionally an Arjuna Award recipient.
This growth comes after the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist Malik introduced her retirement after the previous Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bushan Sharan Singh’s shut aide Sanjay Singh was elected as the brand new president of the sports activities physique on Thursday.
“We slept on roads for 40 days,” Malik had then stated in a press convention. “We fought with all our coronary heart but when the president is like Brij Bushan Sharan Singh – his shut aide and enterprise associate – if he stays within the federation then I sacrifice my wrestling profession.”
In January this yr, high Indian wrestlers together with Punia, Malik, Phogat, and others had launched a protest in opposition to Brij Bushan Sharan Singh, a sitting Bhartiya Janta Social gathering MP, accusing him of intimidation and sexual harassment.
The protest was restarted in April at Jantar Mantar and the wrestler’s spent greater than a month on the protest web site after no motion was taken in opposition to the then president.
Brij Bushan was then requested to step down from his submit and an ad-hoc committee was appointed to run the every day affairs of the federation till a recent election was performed on Thursday.