Bajrang Punia gets engaged to Sangeeta Phogat, wedding after Tokyo Olympics

CHANDIGARH: India’s star wrestler Bajrang Punia got engaged to the youngest of the famous Phogat sisters, Sangeeta, in Sonipat on Sunday. TOI was the first to report about the couple in its August 8, 2019 edition. Bajrang and Sangeeta have been dating for close to three years now.
Sangeeta’s father, Mahavir Phogat along with his daughters Geeta and Ritu, son Dushyant and Geeta’s husband Pawan Kumar, went to Bajrang’s home in Sonipat’s Model Town on Sunday for the ‘roka’ ceremony.The Phogats hail from Charkhi Dadri’s Balali village. As part of the ritual, Bajrang was given a ceremonial amount by the Phogats and a ‘teeka’ ceremony was performed under the guidance of a priest.
Mahavir Phogat blesses Bajrang Punia after he got engaged to his daughter Sangeeta in Sonipat
Bajrang to take ₹1 as shagun, 8 ‘pheras’
After the completion of the ceremony, Bajrang Punia was blessed by Mahavir Phogat and his wife Daya Kaur.
Bajrang’s father Balwan Punia, his mother, and some close relatives were present on the occasion.
“On my part, I can say that I am a happy man. I have never stopped my daughters from choosing their respective life partners,” Mahavir Phogat told TOI. “Both the families are extremely happy with the alliance,” he added.
TOI has reliably learnt that the wedding is bound to take place after the Tokyo Olympics next year. Bajrang, a big medal hope for the country at next year’s Olympics, is solely focused on his training for the marquee event.
A friend close of Bajrang said the wrestler has decided to take eight ‘pheras’ instead of the regular seven. The eighth ‘phera’ will encourage the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ movement. It is also learnt that Bajrang will take just Rs 1 as ‘shagun’ amount to set an example for others to follow.
After achieving fame in wrestling, the Phogat sisters are now getting married — Geeta got married in 2016 to wrestler Pawan Kumar and India’s top woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat, a niece of Mahavir Phogat, married national-level grappler Somveer Rathi in 2018.
Babita, who made a foray into politics this year, is scheduled to wed fellow wrestler Vivek Suhag on December 1. Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik too is married to a wrestler, Satyawart Kadian.