'We felt hurt by what she said': Bajrang Punia's reply to PT Usha over 'dignity' remark

Top Indian wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and many others are protesting against the Wrestling Federation of India president at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The Sports Ministry has now intervened in the matter and has directed the Indian Olympic Association to form an ad-hoc panel to who can manage its affairs and also will conduct fresh elections for the organization within 45 days of its formation. 

The wrestlers are still protesting against the WFI chief but it looks like they are not happy with the statement of Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha's statement that she gave a day earlier after the IOA's Executive Committee meeting. Wrestler Bajrang Punia has now hit back at Usha and has said that they are 'hurt' by her statement. 

Bajrang Punia said to ANI, "We feel bad because she herself has been a sportsperson, is our icon and a woman herself, and even after that she herself being a woman is saying such things about women sportspersons and she is calling our strike as indiscipline, I ask her I want to ask that when your academy and school were being demolished, you were tweeting, then the country's dignity was not being affected. You have power, then this can happen to you, we don't even have power, the people of the country are our power." 

Bajrang Punia hits back at PT Usha 

#WATCH | PT Usha has been our icon. We felt hurt by what she said. I want to ask her - when her academy was being demolished and she had raised her concerns on social media, then was that not tarnishing India's image?: Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia pic.twitter.com/X6P9xumba2

— ANI (@ANI)

PT Usha had said to PTI after IOA's Executive Committee meeting, "Wrestlers staging protest on streets amounts to indiscipline. It is tarnishing the image of India". 

Coming back to the wrestlers protest, the Indian Olympic Council has as directed by the Sports Ministry formed a three-member ad-hoc panel to look into the matter of the WFI. The panel includes former shooter Suma Shirur, Wushu Association of India chief Bhupendra Singh Bajwa and is headed by a yet-to-be-named retired high court judge. 

The wrestlers had to resume their protest yet again after they filed a written complaint against the WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on the charges of sexual assault. The complaint was filed by seven female wrestlers in Connaught Place police station however an FIR is yet to be lodged in the case.