Distressing that Sakshi quit wrestling owing to lack of justice: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday hit out at the BJP-led Centre after some of India's top wrestlers expressed disappointment over the election of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's close aide Sanjay Singh as president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Reacting to Rio Olympics bronze winner Sakshi Malik's decision to quit wrestling and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his sadness over Sanjay Singh's appointment as WFI chief, AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak said at a press conference: “It is distressing that owing to a lack of justice, Sakshi Malik was disheartened, and quit wrestling. The prime minister invites medal winners to his home for discussions and captures all the footage when they win medals, but no investigation is conducted when an insulting incident happens to them.”

Pathak also said the entire country saw "how this entire system was engaged in defeating" wrestlers, who had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

"While watching their press conference, I was deeply saddened and wondered if this system could do such a thing to well-known wrestlers, what will happen to ordinary people?" the AAP MLA said, referring to the press conference of Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia during which a tearful Malik announced her retirement from wrestling.