On Tuesday, the Delhi Police in its supplementary charge sheet has recorded several incidents of violence and assault by Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar, the main accused in the Sagar Dhankar murder case.
It has been mentioned in the supplementary charge sheet that a few hours before allegedly murdering junior wrestler Sagar Dhankar on May 5, 2021, Sushil Kumar had reached the Chhatrasal Stadium, fired at the barking dogs, threatened athletes with his pistol, and forced them to leave.
Based on the statements of Sushil’s security guard Anil Dhiman and other accused, the police have put these things before the Rohini court as well. According to the reports, Anil Dhiman in his statement to the Delhi Police has said that he has been working with Sushil since April 2019 and that he was present when Sushil fired shots at the barking dogs at the stadium. He also said that Sushil that night (May 4-5, 2021) had called several people to the stadium as he wanted to ‘teach someone a lesson’.
‘Sushil was informed that Sagar had plans to cause harm to his life’
Dhiman in the charge sheet has claimed that after that night he, along with Sushil and others, went to Shalimar Bagh and assaulted wrestlers Amit and Ravinder on the instructions of Sushil. “At the stadium, we hit them hard. Then we went to a flat in Model Town, where we kidnapped Sagar, Jai Bhagwan and Sonu and took them to the stadium”, he said.
Another co-accused named Rahul also agreed in his statement that Sushil was carrying a licensed pistol that night. He was furious at the fact that some of the wrestlers were keeping a watch on him and noting all his routine activity details. According to Rahul, Sushil had said, “Where I go, who I meet, what I eat, all this information is being leaked by some wrestlers including Sonu Mahal to Sagar and Jaibhagwan”
Dhiman said that they abducted and assaulted the wrestlers with lathi, sticks, hockey sticks and baseball bat. “Our intention was to kill Sagar and Jaibhagwan as that was what Sushil wanted. He was scared that Sagar and Jaibhagwan were collecting information on him and wanted to cause harm to his life and that’s why Sushil wanted to kill them”, Dhiman added. According to the charge sheet, Sushil kept shouting, “Don’t leave him alive, beat him mercilessly”.
Sonu in the later investigation by Delhi Police earlier in June 2021 had revealed that Sushil had beaten him relentlessly on the night of May 5. He was also searching for Sagar Dhankar and had abducted his accomplices Bhagat Singh. Bhagat was released later after his wife called Delhi Police’s 100 number and complained that her husband has been kidnapped.
The Delhi Police action
Arrested in the capital on May 24, Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar is facing charges of murder, abduction and criminal conspiracy related to a violent clash on May 4 between two groups at Delhi’s Chhatrasal wrestling academy. Wrestler Sagar Dhankhar, who was involved in the clash, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. Kumar’s friend Ajay Sherawat, the physical education teacher at Chhatrasal Stadium has also been arrested with him, as an accused. It is worth noting that Sherawat is the son of Congress councillor from Vikaspuri Suresh Kumar Sherawat.
The Delhi Police has arrested 18 accused in the case and has filed an FIR under sections 302 (murder), 308 (culpable homicide), 365 (kidnapping), 325 (causing grievous hurt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It is also registered under sections 188 (Disobedience to order by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and various sections under the Arms Act.
