A Delhi court on Wednesday framed charges against Olympian wrestler Sushil Kumar and 17 others in connection with the murder case of junior wrestler Sagar Dhankar. Shankar died on May 4, 2021, after suffering injuries in a brawl that had erupted between the wrestlers at Delhi's Chhatrasal stadium.
Dhankar was injured along with several wrestlers and had died during the treatment.
The court has now framed charges relating to murder, attempt to murder, rioting, unlawful assembly, and other sections, including criminal conspiracy, against Kumar and 17 others.
Here is all you need to know about the murder case and how the arrests were made:
What happened?
On May 4, 2021, a brawl broke out between wrestlers at Delhi's Chhatrasal stadium. Kumar, 37, and his associates reportedly assaulted Dhankar and two of his friends. The trio suffered injuries and were hospitalised for treatment where Dhankar breathed his last, according to police. The brawl had allegedly broken out over a property dispute.
On Wednesday, The Times of India reported that the court observed that Dhankar was kidnapped from Model Town and was brought to the stadium where he was severely beaten by the accused using lathi, danda, baseball, and hockey stick, while another accused videographed the incident on a mobile phone.
Kumar and his associate Ajay Bakkarwala were the prime accused in the case and were apprehended by the police two weeks later on May 23 after being on the run, A non-bailable warrant was issued against Kumar and the other accused.
The police at the time had said that Kumar said crossed the borders of at least seven states and union territories in 18 days and kept changing his SIM cards to evade the arrest. Kumar has been in Tihar jail since then.
Who is Sushil Kumar?
Kumar is an Indian wrestler who won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics. He also won the gold medal in the 74 kg division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. He was honoured with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India's highest honour for sportspersons.
Soon after his arrest on May 18 last year, he accused the police of being "biased" and alleged that he had not caused any injuries to the deceased wrestler as he sought protection from arrest. He said the police were trying to present his guilty image to "wrongfully establish a connection between him and a renowned gangster."
His plea was rejected as the court said that he was "prima facie the main conspirator".
Kumar's history of controversies
The murder charges aren't the first controversy that because of which Kumar made headlines. In 2017, a brawl broke out between the supporters of Kumar and another wrestler Praveen Rana during the selection trials of the Gold Coast Common Wealth Games at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium.
While Kumar had said he condemned the incident while speaking to the media, Rana had claimed Kumar instigated his supporters.
In 2019, Kumar made it to the World Championships in Kazakhstan after beating Jitender Kumar in the trials. His place in the Indian squad became controversial as he allegedly had inflicted injuries to Jitender's eyes and twisted his arm during the trials.
In 2016, Kumar approached the Delhi High Court for a special selection trial against Narasingh Yadav, when Yadav was chosen by the Wrestling Federation of India as India's entry in the 74-kilogram freestyle wrestling event at the Rio Olympics. The court dismissed Singh's plea saying it found no problems with the federation's decision.