Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia landed in a hot soup after he was spotted standing on the poster of 'Tiranga' while he was receiving Vinesh Phogat at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Saturday, August 17.
Vinesh Phogat received a grand welcome upon her arrival at the Delhi Airport from the Paris Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) dismissed her appeal for a silver following her disqualification from the gold medal match.
Vinesh Phogat's fellow Indian wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia were at the airport to welcome her as part of the grand reception arranged for the occasion. Amid the rousing reception for the Vinesh, Bajrang landed in a bit trouble after he was caught standing on 'Tiranga' poster.
In a video, Bajrang Punia was seen standing on the bonnet of the car where where a 'Tiranga' poster was prominently displayed. Punia was managing the crowd and the media when he inadvertently stepped on the 'Tiranga' poster.
After the video went viral on social media, the netizens slammed the Indian wrestler for disrespecting Indian flag by standing on the poster of Tiranga. It could be unintentional as he was busy managing the crowd and media as the car was trying to navigate way out of the airport through the dense crowd. However, netizens criticised him what they perceived as disrespectful act towards the Indian national flag.
Here's how netizens reacted to Bajrang Punia's viral video
Meanwhile, Vinesh Phogat broke down in tears upon her arrival at the Delhi Airport from the Paris Olympics. After the conclusion of the Paris Games, Phogat was staying in France's capital for her verdict over her disqualification from the gold medal bout.
Phogat appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports for joint-silver medal as he won all three bouts, including the semifinal, before getting disqualified from the final as she was found to be 100 grams more than the permissible limit of 50kg, her weight category in wrestling at Paris Olympics.
After three delays in pronouncing the judgement, the CAS dismissed her dismissed by upholding the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and United World Wrestling (UWW) rules on weight in wrestling. After returning to India, Vinesh Phogat became emotional and cried inconsolably on seeing a massive reception from the crowd, who was waiting outside the Delhi Airport to welcome her.
While addressing the media, Bajrang Punia showered praise on Vinesh Phogat for her resilience and grit despite missing out on her maiden Olympic medal due to disqualification.
"She (Vinesh Phogat) is being welcomed like a champion. The country saw Vinesh's journey from the streets to the podium. We thank all the countrymen." Bajrang said.
