Wrestling

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur refuses to get involved in wrestler Bajrang Punia controversy

By Jyoti Pandey

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has refused to comment on wrestler Bajrang Punia’s decision to return his Padma Shri award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in protest against the election of Sanjay Singh as the chair of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Singh was backed by former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been accused of sexual assault. Punia had joined female wrestlers’ protests against Brij Bhushan Singh in January, and his decision to return the award came after Singh’s election.

Jyoti Pandey

Jyoti Pandey is a diploma holder in creative writing from Bhaskar Academy. Immediately after her graduation in English Literature, she worked in a weekly magazine on travel and tourism. Currently she freelances for three news websites.