Sakshi Malik sympathized with Vinesh Phogat over her Paris Olympics disqualification but stressed that the decision, based on UWW's strict rules, was justified. Malik also discussed how Vinesh's and Bajrang Punia's decisions impacted their protest's credibility.

Rio Olympics Bronze Medalist, Sakshi Malik has bluntly pointed finger at Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia for undermining the image of Wrestlers Protest, which made waves last year. According to Malik,

In her newly released autobiography, Witness, Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik criticises fellow Indian wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia for accepting exemptions from the Asian Games trials, claiming it damaged the image of their protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and made it appear "selfish.