Sushil Kumar Broke Down in Jail, Was Up All Night: Report

Sushil Kumar was arrested over his alleged involvement in the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl that led to Dhankar’s death.

New Delhi: Olympics medal-winning wrestler Sushil Kumar was arrested in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl that led to the death of a wrestler, in Delhi, Sunday, May 23, 2021.

Photo: PTI

Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, arrested on grounds of his alleged connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl that led to the death of wrestler Sagar Dhankad, was interrogated for almost four hours on Monday, the Delhi Police said.

Kumar and his associate Ajay Kumar Sehrawat were arrested on Sunday, 23 May, from outer Delhi's Mundka region, after roughly three weeks on the run.

The police said that Kumar started shedding tears as soon as he was lodged in the police lock-up, Hindustan Times' sister publication Livehindustan reported. The accused athlete is on remand in the Model Town police station in Delhi, according to Livehindustan.

He was awake all night and refused to eat anything, according to the police. Kumar cried many times during the night, they added.

During his interrogation, Kumar said that his only intention was to scare Dhankad, the 23-year-old junior national champion, who was killed during the brawl on May 4. And that is why Dhankad was subjected to a thrashing, Kumar said as per the report in Livehindustan which quoted police officials.

Police officials said they are investigating the case from a wide range of angles. "We are questioning Kumar to ascertain the sequence of events that transpired and led the crime and also about his whereabouts after the incident. He was also questioned about his associates and friends who helped him to hide. He will be taken to the spot for recreating the crime scene," a police officer was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The police, however, refrained from divulging details about a purported video of the assault which Kumar had allegedly asked his associate to record, reportedly to instil a sense of fear within the wrestling circuit in the city.

Meanwhile, Northern Railway is set to suspend Kumar following his arrest, Northern Railway CPRO Deepak Kumar said on Monday. "The Railway Board has received a report on the case on Sunday from the Delhi government. He has FIRs registered against him and he will be suspended," he notified.

A senior commercial manager with the Northern Railway, Kumar had been on deputation with the Delhi government since 2015 and was posted as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at Chhatrasal Stadium for the development of sports at school level.