We thought, with all our medals, that we'd be heard... we never imagined this: Bajrang
Hindustan Times|May 26, 2023
WRESTLERS' PROTEST - REALITY CHECK
Shantanu Srivastava
We thought, with all our medals, that we'd be heard... we never imagined this: Bajrang

In one corner of Jantar Mantar, a group of Meiteis from Manipur are protesting against the rampaging violence sweeping their state. Fifty metres to their left, a young man is delivering a passionate speech about unemployment and price rise. And between them, some YouTubers are trying to catch anyone who has an opinion and is willing to talk. Bajrang Punia takes a cursory look at the milieu, muses from across a barricade, and slowly shakes his head. "Sometimes you realise that yours is not the only grief in this world. There are people who have suffered more and for much longer," the Olympic medal-winning wrestler told HT on Thursday.

Over the last 33 days, since he began a sit-in with fellow wrestlers demanding the arrest of  former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Punia says he and his compatriots have got a reality check. "We thought, with all our medals, that we would be heard. But the reality is different."

This story is from the May 26, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.

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This story is from the May 26, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.

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