Vinesh Phogat to return Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award

Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday decided to return her Khel Ratna and Arjuna award to the Prime Minister, saying that such honours have become meaningless in the current situation where the grapplers are struggling for justice. Phogat, the two-time World Championship medal winner, announced her decision to protest Sanjay Singh, a close associate of the Wrestling Federation of India’s ex-boss Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan who was accused of sexually harassing sportspersons, was elected as WFI chief. In her letter penned for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Phogat said their lives are not like those “fancy government advertisements” that talk about women empowerment and upliftment. “The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards don’t have any meaning in my life now. Every woman in this country wants to lead a dignified life. So PM sir I want to return my Dhyan Chand and Arjun award to you so that these awards don’t become a burden on us in our endeavour to lead a dignified life,” she wrote. Vinesh was conferred with the Khel Ratna, the highest sports honour in India, in 2020 while she received the Arjuna Award in 2016.