NEW DELHI: Even as the the curtains are set to be drawn on 2017, the Delhi police have registered an FIR against wrestler Sushil Kumar and his supporters on charges of violence and death threats against his opponent in the ring Praveen Rana and his brother Naveen at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Friday.
The brawl occurred after one of the trial bouts here Friday for next year’s Commonwealth Games, in which Kumar defeated Rana.
The unseemly incident comes close on the heels of the Sports Ministry deciding to revise the guidelines for issuance of funds to athletes under the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme. Reason: Following the instances of alleged misuse of TOP funding by athletes, the ministry decided to stop the practice of releasing direct payments to sportspersons who are part of TOP scheme with immediate effect.
These two cases provide telling proof (if any was needed) that the notion of sportspersons somehow operating on a higher moral plane is pure bunkum.
Coming back to the Kumar case, Rana had claimed that the wrestler’s supporters had beaten up his brother and threatened him if he “dared” to compete against the superstar in the Pro Wrestling League next month.
Prior to this, slaps, blows and plastic chairs were thrown about in the scuffle that broke out, Indian Express reports. An FIR under section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Kumar’s supporters for the clashes.
Kumar tweeted the following after the incident: “It’s very unfortunate and highly condemnable what has happened today at the stadium. I do not support anyone who gets violence in between sportsmanship. My aim is to fight & win for my Nation like a true sportsman & not to win against any group or individual #JaiHind.”
Kumar’s apologists in the Indian media will no doubt pick up on the tweet to somehow gloss over what has become a clear pattern of behaviour over the last few year’s that is reflective of the sense of entitlement that India’s most feted wrestler harbours. The bitter court battle that 2015 World Championship Bronze medallist Narsingh Yadav went through against Kumar before the 2016 Rio Olympics has been well documented. As well as the allegations that Kumar’s supporters had a role to play in Yadav’s positive dope test just ahead of the Games in Rio.
Last year, Yadav, who was training at the Sports Authority of India’s Sonepat Centre, alleged he received death threats from Kumar’s supporters and was subsequently given police protection.
Then there was the farce that was witnessed at the National Championship in Indore (and condoned by the Wrestling Federation of India). Kumar’s opponents forfeited their bouts as the 34-year-old won the Gold medal in his first tournament since the Glasgow Commomwealth Games in 2014. Among those who conceded their bouts was Rana. At the time, Kumar’s supporters claimed the walkovers were a “mark of respect” for the veteran wrestler.
Rana, however, insisted he pulled out of the final due to a thigh injury and promised to challenge Sushil if he got another opportunity, Indian Express reports. He didn’t have to wait long. The duo faced each other again in the final of the Commonwealth Championships in Johannesburg a fortnight ago. Sushil prevailed over Rana in an extremely close match.
The part three of their fledgling rivalry drew nearly 5,000 fans to the stadium Friday. And it was anything but ‘respectful’. It was a very physical bout with even the support staff of the wrestlers too getting drawn into a heated argument.
It is this “disrespect” that in all likelihood triggered off the thuggery that Kumar’s supporters unleashed on Friday.
As for the WFI, meanwhile, it has osght to wash its hands off Friday’s incident, Indian Express reports. WFI president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh told the daily that since it took place outside the main arena, it was not their responsibility.
“It is not the federation’s issue. Nothing happened in the main wrestling arena. Parveen Rana came and informed me. But I have not been able to verify the allegations. The issue has been taken to the police. They will deal with it. If someone lodges a complaint with us, we will look into it,” he said.
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