October 22, 2024: Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik has made explosive claims regarding Babita Phogat of the Bharatiya Janata Party, suggesting that Phogat was a key figure in motivating wrestlers to protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). In an interview with a media, Malik accused Phogat of harboring ambitions to assume the WFI presidency.

Malik revealed that Phogat convened a meeting with several wrestlers, encouraging them to voice their grievances against the federation's alleged misconduct, which included serious accusations of molestation against Singh. "Babita Phogat approached us with the idea of protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh because she had her own agenda — she wanted to become the WFI president," Malik stated.

Contrary to some narratives suggesting that the Congress party backed their protests, Malik clarified that two leaders from the BJP, including Phogat and Tirath Rana, actually assisted them in obtaining permission to demonstrate in Haryana.

The protest, which garnered significant attention, was led by Malik and other prominent wrestlers like Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat. However, Malik expressed concern that the unity of their movement began to fracture as "people close to" Punia and Vinesh started to introduce "greed" into the conversation.

Malik's comments come in the wake of her recently published book, Witness, where she reflects on the challenges and triumphs faced by wrestlers during the tumultuous protests against alleged abuses within the WFI. As the situation unfolds, the wrestling community continues to grapple with the implications of these claims and the broader political context surrounding the sport in India.