The emotional turmoil of India’s top wrestlers took center stage as Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and others protested against Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, over alleged sexual harassment and misconduct. What started as an act of resistance turned into a painful experience, leaving the athletes feeling manipulated and dishonored.
In this deeply personal reflection, Sakshi Malik recounts the critical moments at the Haridwar ghat, where they intended to immerse their medals in the Ganga — an act that symbolized the wrestlers’ loss of faith in the system. However, what was meant to be a powerful statement became a moment of betrayal and regret.
The Protest and the Decision to Sacrifice Their Medals
Gathered at the Haridwar ghat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and other wrestlers prepared to let go of their hard-earned Olympic medals — symbols of their blood, sweat, and tears — as a protest against the system they believed had failed them. Malik imagined that one day she would show her medal to her children, telling them the story of her achievements. Yet here she was, on the brink of discarding it.
“I thought I’d tell my kids how their mother had won this medal,” she recalls. “Instead, I sat there, ready to throw it away, all because I fought for what I knew was right.”
The wrestlers waited anxiously on the ghat. At one point, Bajrang Punia was taken aside for a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah, raising hopes that political intervention might bring justice. However, the waiting only deepened their despair. Naresh Tikait, a senior leader from the farmer rights movement, advised them to wait further, promising to help resolve the crisis.
A Moment of Betrayal
When Tikait appeared, he unexpectedly gathered the medals in his cloth safa, insisting that they were the pride of the nation and promising to make things right. In that instant, the wrestlers entrusted him with their medals, believing they were still in control of the protest’s narrative. “Within minutes, we realized what a tremendous mistake we had made,” Malik recalls. “What was meant to be an act of defiance had become a farce.”
Rather than creating change, the wrestlers found themselves used as pawns in a political spectacle. They were taken to Tikait’s house, where the activist addressed the media, claiming credit for preventing the medals from being lost.Malik reflects with regret: “This was his moment to shine, not ours. We were dishonored.”
No Comeback This Time
The wrestlers were emotionally shattered, realizing the protest had been manipulated. Malik describes the emotional breakdown in the car after the encounter, with Vinesh Phogat hitting herself in frustration and the others sitting in stunned silence. “I’ve always known how to pull off comebacks in wrestling,” Malik says. “But here, there was no comeback. We were beaten completely.”
The trust placed in Tikait and the misplaced hope in political intervention left the wrestlers without recourse. “The mistake of handing over the medals was ours,” Malik admits. “I let the emotion of the moment take over. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Reflections on a Lost Battle
This incident marked a turning point for the wrestlers, not just in their protest but in their personal sense of dignity. The medals, once a source of pride and inspiration, became a painful reminder of betrayal—a symbol not only of their achievements but also of a fight they couldn’t win.
Malik concludes with a haunting realization: “Things don’t just get better by themselves. We had fought so hard, yet there was nothing we could do to turn this around.”
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