Vinesh Phogat leaves her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards at Kartavya Path

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Saturday returned her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award, leaving them at Kartavya Path in New Delhi after the police prevented her from reaching the Prime Minister's office. Earlier in the week, the Asian Games gold medallist had announced her decision to return her awards, stating that these honors had lost their significance during a period when wrestlers are grappling for justice. Phogat had conveyed this decision in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Her attempt to personally deliver the awards to the Prime Minister's office on Saturday was thwarted by the police, prompting her to leave the awards at Kartavya Path, which were later retrieved by Delhi Police. This act was a mark of her protest against the current state of affairs in the wrestling community.

Vinesh was conferred with the Khel Ratna, the highest sports honour in India, in 2020 while she received the Arjuna Award in 2016.


Phogat, alongside fellow Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, had raised objections to the election of Sanjay Singh, a close associate of the former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who had faced allegations of sexual harassment from prominent grapplers.

The grapplers had held a long drawn protest at Jantar Mantar early this year. The matter is being in a Delhi court.

Sakshi Malik had even announced her retirement from wrestling soon after Sanjay Singh assumed the position of WFI Chief. The Sports Ministry later suspended the newly-elected panel for not adhering to the provisions of its own constitution while making decisions. Subsequently, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was instructed to form an ad-hoc panel to oversee the affairs of the wrestling body.

Phogat, in her letter posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), emphasized the disparity between their real lives and the glossy portrayals in "fancy government advertisements" discussing women's empowerment.

Responding to the Sports Ministry's directive, the IOA established a three-member ad hoc committee on Wednesday to manage the day-to-day operations of the Wrestling Federation of India.

Phogat, a two-time World Championship medalist, reiterated her decision in her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring that the Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards no longer held any meaning in her life.