By Ashish Wagh

Bangalore / Pune : If human memory persists, the whole world knows what freestyle wrestler Vinesh Phogat and her fellow sportspersons faced when they protested at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against an alleged molester Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who is a six time Member of Parliament from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

There has been a lot written about it in the world but no writer has thought or written about what she has gone through in her journey to be a bronze medalist in Paris Olympics.

Current headlines suggest that she was provided everything to be comfortable in competitive. Even the country’s ace sprinster, P T Usha, who is the President of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) made a statement validating all possible efforts were taken to ensure that Vinesh bags medals and makes India proud.

What went wrong? The IOA website (as on today) has informed the world that Vinesh fits in the 50 KG category of wrestlers.

Interestingly, wrestling, which is an integral part of India across States, was listed as the last sport for the Paris Olympics contingent. Vinesh was one among the five representing India.

In January 2023, crossing swords with Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, by being a part of an agitation seems to have got the better of her at the Paris Olympics 2024. Despite being roughed up, beaten up and subjected to vituperative treatment by the political police, she stood her ground and focussed on preparing for the Olympic games.

It took almost a year for the ruling Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Home Minister (HM) Amit Shah led government to relieve  his duties. Democracy was flung out of the window. Today, he is crunching numbers to gather as much as possible for the PM Cares Fund in and around his LokSabha constituency Kaiserjang in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous State in the largest democracy in the world, India.

For every Indian, the disqualification of Vinesh was a shocker. However, if one analyses, despite bagging a bronze and being a contingent member in the 50 KG category, she was humiliated by making her sit on the bench like what Information Technology (IT) sharks do in India or around the world.

Self respect prevailed in Vinesh who, in a message to her mother, said, “Kushti Jeet gayi, main haar gayi.”

One should not forget that PM Modi was ruling in 2023 but the square blame fell on CM Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party. Amit Shah too had no remorse in blaming the New Delhi administration for the ruckus that ensued in the agitation against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Today, PM Modi says Vinesh is a jewel in India’s crown and, instead of sulking by the disqualification, she must make a comeback.

The common man today knows what kind of lies are fed to him by the government’s machinery.

The moot point is, what next for Vinesh? For Modi and Shah, it is unaffordable to discard Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh because he is a strongman and a SIP in Uttar Pradesh. CM Yogi Adityanath is losing sheen after the recent Loksabha debacle.

Political interference in sports has marred the careers of several sportspersons but Vinesh is a mix of a good sportsperson and a fighter against the new age autocrats.

Will the Modi and Shah government protect her future? It is debatable because Vinesh has announced her retirement from sports. Clearly a victim of politicisation of Sport.