Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik quits wrestling after Brij Bhushan loyalist becomes WFI chief
New Delhi, Dec 21: Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik on Thursday announced her retirement from the sport, protesting against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh loyalist Sanjay Singh winning the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) election for the top job, here.
Sanjay, a close associate of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan became the new WFI president with his panel winning 13 of the 15 posts in the elections here on Thursday.
"We fought from our heart but if a man like Brij Bhushan, his business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling," said a teary-eyed Sakshi, and kept her shoes on the table in a dramatic announcement.
"We wanted a female president but that did not happen," the 31-year-old, who is also a CWG gold medallist, added.
Ahead of the elections, Oylmpic medal winning grapplers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi had repeatedly requested Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to stop anyone associated with Brij Bhushan from contesting the WFI polls.
Consequently, neither Brij Bhushan's son Prateek nor son-in-law Vishal Singh entered the fray.
Bajrang and Vinesh Phogat, who addressed media after elections, did not say whether they will retire from the sport.
"It's unfortunate that government did not stand by its word that no Brij Bhushan loyalist will contest WFI election," Bajrang said.
"Upcoming women wrestlers will also face exploitation," Vinesh added.
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Police raid house in Byndoor, confiscate illegal supply of firecrackers worth Rs 4 lakh
Kundapur: Byndoor Police seized firecrackers worth Rs 4 lakh from a house in Kanchikan of Uppunda, Byndoor taluk, on Wednesday, after the locals complained that the resident of the house, Dattatreya Shet, had an illegal stock of firecrackers.
Shet had been selling firecrackers during Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali festivals for several years. The locals told the Byndoor Police that Shet has stocked up firecrackers without official permission, following which, the officers conducted the raid on Shet’s residence on Wednesday.
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The police found a variety of crackers in Shet’s house, including gelatin sticks, which were stocked up illegally. The confiscated crackers are estimated to be worth more than Rs 4 lakh.
A case has been filed at the Byndoor Police Station and the officers are investigating the matter further.
