Vinesh Phogat sends apology to WFI, may still not be allowed to compete at Worlds
New Delhi, Aug 14: Suspended wrestler Vinesh Phogat has sent her apology to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), which had barred her from competitions on grounds of indiscipline during the Tokyo Olympics but the parent body may still not allow her to compete in the upcoming World Championship.
Vinesh, who exited from the Tokyo Games following her shock quarterfinal defeat, was suspended by the WFI for not staying and training with her Indian teammates and for sporting the name of her personal sponsor on her singlet instead of the official sponsor of the Indian contingent.
A day after her suspension, Vinesh had revealed her physical and mental struggle during the Games where she did not have the services of her personal physio.
The 26-year-old on Friday replied to the notice sent to her by the WFI.
"WFI has received the reply and Vinesh has apologised," a source, aware of the developments, told PTI.
"But it is very much possible that despite apology, she may not still be allowed to travel to the World Championship," the sources added.
The WFI is not pleased with the way private sports NGOs like OGQ and JSW, who sponsor many Indian athletes, are handling the Indian wrestlers as it feels they are "spoiling" them.
The WFI has said that it will not allow them to interfere in the affairs of the senior wrestlers in future.
Vinesh is supported by OGQ while Bajrang Punia gets support from JSW.
It has also been learnt that Sonam Malik, who has apologised for her misconduct, may also be barred from appearing in the trials for the World Championship, scheduled to be held in Norway from October 2-10.
The WFI had accused Sonam (62kg) of misconduct as she sought help from SAI officials for procuring her passport from the WFI office before leaving for Tokyo.
The trials are expected to be held in the last week of this month.
The source also added that Divya Kakran, who was also served a notice for misconduct three months back, may also be barred from appearing in the trials. She competes in the 68kg category.
The WFI will decide on the fate of the three wrestlers either on Monday or Tuesday.
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BJP workers allegedly attack children during Christmas carol roadshow in Kerala’s Palakkad: Reports
Palakkad: A group of children celebrating Christmas through a carol roadshow was allegedly attacked by BJP workers in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Sunday night.
According to local reports, the incident occurred in Pudussery area of Palakkad, where over 25 children, mostly aged around 13, were moving from house to house singing Christmas carols. Reports state that a BJP worker identified as Ashwin Raj, along with others, allegedly assaulted the children and vandalised their musical equipment.
According to the police and eyewitness accounts, the children were using a band set that belonged to a local CPI(M) office, which had the party’s name written on it.
Allegedly objecting to this, the accused and his associates reportedly lured the children on the pretext of offering them money and then assaulted them. The band set used by the children was also smashed.
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The Town Police have arrested Ashwin Raj, a local BJP worker who has been named as the prime accused in the case. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining accused who fled the scene.
Speaking to the media, one of the injured children said, “We were using the band just for fun. When they saw that it had CPM written on it, they took us aside and beat us.”
"We had given the band set that was in our office out of love when the children asked for it. The fact that these young children, who do not know the intricacies of politics, were attacked shows the criminal mentality of the BJP workers," local CPIM leaders expressed outrage.
A police officer told PTI that the arrested accused is already booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).
The sections invoked include Section 192 (provocation with intent to cause a riot), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), police added.
