Haryana's young female grapplers pin hope on Phogat for safety, return to akhadas
Jind/Sonipat (PTI): Several young female wrestlers in Haryana, especially those rethinking their career paths in the wake of accusations of sexual misconduct against the former WFI chief, are rooting for Vinesh Phogat to become the sports minister in the hope that it would facilitate their return to the akhadas.
The wrestling arenas or akhadas were once abuzz with activity with young girls and boys training with a common goal -- medals at big events followed by government jobs.
However, things changed after the January 2023 protests by top wrestlers, including Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, demanding the resignation of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly harassing junior women wrestlers.
The akhadas have since witnessed a spurt in dropouts among the young female grapplers.
"I did not come here for five months after the protests began as my parents didn't allow me to continue training," said a young woman wrestler training at the Yudhvir Akhada in Sonipat, the biggest arena in the district for girls.
"I have somehow convinced them to resume training but now my father accompanies me and waits till I am here," said the wrestler requesting anonymity.
"We hope that when Vinesh Phogat gets elected, she is made the sports minister because she understands the challenges that women wrestlers face," she told PTI.
At the Meher Singh Akhada in Rohtak, there has been a significant drop in the number of young grapplers coming for training.
Mohit Malik, the owner of the akhada, said Phogat's performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she missed out on a gold medal, will motivate parents sceptical about sending their daughters to akhadas.
"Vinesh's Olympic performance is expected to change things and give strength to those families who have been uncertain about sending their daughters to akhadas.
"There is unemployment in the state and one way to secure a government job is through sports, that is what the common people believe. The funding for akhadas also comes from local residents or individuals and there is very limited government support," he said.
While Phogat is not the candidate contesting from his constituency, Malik said she has his support, along with that of several wrestlers and coaches at akhadas across the state.
"We need someone from amongst us to be able to be our voice in the Vidhan Sabha," he said.
The Olympian wrestler, however, has asserted that she doesn't want Julana to be known only because of her.
"People are saying that Julana is now famous because I am contesting. I want Julana to be known for employment, for wrestling, and not for Vinesh," she said during a public meeting in Siwaha village in Jind.
Phogat, who was born in Charkhi Dadri, joined the Congress after returning from the Paris Olympics, after being disqualified from the women's 50kg freestyle wrestling final for being 100 grams overweight.
She defeated four-time wrestling world champion Yui Susaki of Japan, to enter the quarter-finals of the Olympics.
The Dada Shyam Akhada in Jhajjar is also betting on Phogat's win in the upcoming elections.
"She has already set a benchmark for women wrestlers. We are hopeful that when she is elected, she will set an example for other politicians by standing up for her own community and wrestlers," said Virender Bhuria from Dada Shyam Akhada.
Phogat has been canvassing extensively in her constituency and is visiting different akhadas to seek their support.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party's Kavita Dalal, who is the first woman wrestler to compete in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), is taking on Phogat from Julana.
Dalal won a gold medal in the 2016 South Asian Games and represented India in weightlifting before transitioning to professional wrestling. She was with the WWE from 2017 to 2021.
The BJP has fielded Yogesh Bairagi, a former Indian Army Captain and a commercial pilot, from the seat.
Phogat is not the first woman wrestler from the state to join politics and contest elections. Her cousin Babita Phogat had unsuccessfully contested assembly polls in 2019 from Charkhi Dadri.
The Haryana assembly polls are slated to be held on October 5 and the votes will be counted on October 8.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
