Gurugram: In her autobiography titled ‘Witness’, Olympic bronze medalist Sakshi Malik has accused former wrestler Vinesh Phogat and freestyle wrestler Bajrang Punia of accepting exemptions from the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games trials “out of greed”, adding that their decision tarnished the image of the Indian wrestlers’ protests last year.

The 2023 wrestlers’ protests, which lasted from 18 January to 15 June, demanded an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of female wrestlers by then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Brij Bhushan Singh during his tenure as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president.

This committee exempted Bajrang and Vinesh from the 2023 Asian Games trials.

In her 336-page memoir of 26 chapters released last week—she has co-authored it with journalist Jonathan Selvaraj—Malik wrote that while she, too, was asked to send an email requesting an exemption from the trials, she refused to do so, adding that Bajrang and Vinesh were influenced by certain people, which led them to seek exemption from the trials.

Getting an exemption from trials for the Hangzhou Asian Games held from 23 September to 8 October 2023 meant that Vinesh and Punia directly received entry into the Indian team, irrespective of whether any other wrestler from the country in the same weight category was in better form than them or not.  

Malik wrote that she believed the decision to skip the trials had a negative impact, tarnishing the image of their protest.

As a result, many supporters began to think that the wrestlers were protesting for personal gains, she wrote.

Along with Vinesh and Punia, Malik was a key face of both phases of the wrestlers’ protests, not just during the sit-ins at Jantar Mantar, but also when the wrestlers were detained and treated in an unpleasant manner by the police, and when they went to Haridwar to immerse their medals in the river Ganga. 

After the police’s insalubrious behaviour, Malik announced her retirement from wrestling at a press conference in December last year, placing her shoes on the table.

However, despite exemption from trials, Vinesh had to pull out of the Asian Games because of a knee injury, paving the way for the inclusion of Antim Panghal.

Punia participated in the games despite protests from Kaliraman Khap (a community organisation in Haryana’s Sisai, which represents the Kaliraman Jats) of wrestler Vishal Kaliraman.

Despite winning the trials for the games, Kaliraman was denied a spot in the team because of the exemption granted to Punia. 

Punia, however, missed a medal and faced a lot of criticism back home after he was battered 10-0 by technical superiority by Japan’s Kaiki Yamaguchi in the playoff for bronze. 

Malik also claimed that BJP leaders, including Babita Phogat—popularly known as ‘Dangal girl’—and Tirath Rana, instigated the wrestlers to protest against Brij Bhushan. This was because Babita and Rana were eyeing Brij Bhushan’s position of WFI president, Malik wrote, adding that they expected Babita to also join the protest.

Also Read: Weeks after Olympics upset, Vinesh Phogat wins 1st electoral bout in Haryana’s Julana

Malik on the protests’ origin

Explaining how the protests originated, Malik wrote that a meeting was held at a specific location three to four days before the fight began. She also wrote that Babita called her to ask if she would attend the meeting.

When Malik called Bajrang, he told her he would attend the meeting and asked her to join as well, she wrote. It was then that they realised they would be protesting, and that Babita and Rana had arranged the necessary permission for the protest, Malik claimed.

ThePrint has reached out to Babita over the phone for a comment. This report will be updated when a response is available.

Meanwhile, Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli Tuesday defended Babita, calling her honest, hardworking and a leader with a clean image. Badoli said all sportspersons should stay away from negativity and allegations against one another.

Adding that the protesting wrestlers were pleased with the idea of fighting for the justice of women wrestlers, Malik emphasised that the protest was for their sisters and daughters, and aimed at ending sexual harassment in sports.

“We have made it clear that if anyone commits sexual harassment, they will think a hundred times before doing so, fearing a protest,” she wrote in her memoir. 

How Babita and Vinesh reacted to Malik’s claims

The day Malik’s book was released, Babita Phogat wrote on X: “Saying is “hard,” listening is “harder,” enduring is even “harder, But the hardest of all is to “forget” everything and remain “normal”!”

Vinesh, who won the Julana seat in the recently concluded Haryana assembly elections on a Congress ticket, indirectly reacted to Malik’s claims two days after the memoir was released. 

Without naming Malik directly, Vinesh shared a quote on X Monday, in the form of a picture which read: “Don’t believe everything you hear. There are always three sides to a story: yours, theirs & the Truth.”

Reacting to Malik’s allegations, Vinesh told the media Tuesday, “…Greed for what? You should ask her (Sakshi Malik). If speaking for the sisters is greed, I have this greed and this is good. If this is the greed – to bring an Olympic medal by representing the country, it’s a good greed”.

Other things Malik talks about in ‘Witness’

Apart from the wrestlers’ protest, the Phogat sisters and Brij Bhushan Singh, Malik also wrote about growing up in Rohtak, how she became interested in kushti, her first international camp life, her husband, her journey to the Olympics, cracks within the team of protesters and why she continues to fight. 

On 29 August, Malik announced her autobiography on X with a picture of the book and the caption: “Very excited to share some news – my autobiography is going to be published later this year. I have opened my heart in this book and been as honest as it is possible to be.”

To advertise her book, Malik shared a video titled ‘Story of a fighter’ on X Monday, with the caption “From dreaming to represent country in Wrestling to succumbing to politics, this memoir has it all!!” 

The video featured Malik’s moments of glory at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics where she won a bronze medal in the 58 kg category; clips of her being dragged by the police from the wrestlers’ protest site at Jantar Mantar last year; and recordings of her explaining the reasons behind the protest. 

The video also shows her husband Satyawart Kadian saying, “Sakshi has a soft nature and becomes emotional quickly. She gives significant importance to the truth”.

In April, Malik was listed by America’s Time magazine among the 100 most influential people of 2024, making her the only wrestler from Haryana to ever make it to such a list.

(Edited by Radifah Kabir)

Also Read: Indira Gandhi is Vinesh Phogat’s inspiration, and it’s not because of Congress ticket in Haryana