Crime Connection: Sushil Kumar not the first sportsman to be arrested

Sad, but true... In the annals of Indian sports, Sushil Kumar is not the only one whose name is muddled in the criminal case. His recent arrest and subsequent investigation led to the opening of many sickening angles so far. Etv Bharat digs into the past to find out five prominent Indian sportspersons who had similar run-ins with the crime.

Hyderabad: On World Wrestling Day, May 23, disbelief and grief loomed over the country's sporting arena as India's one of the greatest sportspersons, the most decorated wrestler, Sushil Kumar was arrested for his alleged connection in the murder case of a young wrestler Sagar Dhankar in Delhi's Chhatrasal Stadium on May 4.

After around three weeks of a search operation, Sushil, the most wanted man albeit for all the wrong reasons, was arrested by Delhi Police. As the former world champion and two-time Olympic medallist kept dodging police, the Delhi High Court had announced a reward of INR 1 lakh to know his whereabouts.

It raised a question even among the ardent fans of Sushil - if he was innocent, or if he was not involved in the murder case, then why should he be absconding from the law?

The events that followed the May 4 night incident, whose video clip is yet to be released by the Delhi Police, not only dented Sushil's credibility but even marked the peak of the wrestler's downfall that continued to haunt him since Rio 2016, when he failed to qualify for the Olympic Games after two successive bronze and silver medal-winning performances in Beijing and London.

As the inevitable happened on Sunday, the nation had to witness the face of Indian wrestling Sushil Kumar going behind the bar for his alleged link with the murder of a promising wrestler.

Sushil's arrest and subsequent investigation led to the opening of many sickening angles so far.

But in the annals of Indian sports, Sushil is not the only one whose name is muddled in the criminal case.

Here are five Indian sportspersons who had similar run-ins with the crime.

S Sreesanth - Indian cricketer

In 2012, in an eye-opening spot-fixing scandal in IPL, Sreesanth, who was then playing for Rajasthan Royals, was arrested by the Delhi Police. During the five-day judicial custody, the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup-winning pace bowler admitted his offence. This incident led to the fall of Sreesanth as the cricketer was banned from playing cricket.

However, two years after the scandal broke out, the Patiala House Court dropped the charges against the cricketer. In 2018, BCCI, however, turned down Sreesanth's plea to lift the ban and allow him to play county cricket in England. In 2020, BCCI reduced his ban to seven years which eventually ended his hiatus from cricket. Early this year, Sreesanth made his comeback to professional cricket representing Kerala in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Navjot Singh Sidhu - Indian cricketer

Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu is a household name in India. Though he is now known for his Shayaris (poetry) that make people break into laughter, Sindhu once had made a special place in the hearts of Indian cricket fans with his strokeplay.

The former Indian opener was arrested by Punjab Police in 1991 for assaulting Patiala resident Gurnam Singh and causing his death on December 27, 1988. As he was found guilty in the murder case, Sidhu was sentenced to a three-year prison term for culpable homicide after which he resigned as a Member of Parliament.

However, in 2018, the Supreme Court had acquitted him of the criminal offence.

Deepak Pahal - Boxer

The way wrestler Sushil Kumar's case is unfolding, it is becoming more evident that wrestlers and boxers have always been close to powerful people to protect their interest. This is not the first time an athlete from a combat sport getting arrested by police for a criminal offence. In 2016, boxer Deepak Pahal helped a gangster escape from police custody while being taken to a Haryana court and soon was arrested by Delhi Police’s Crime Branch.

After this incident, Pahal was thrown out of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Sonepat. Pahal had also reportedly broken the jaw of another boxer in a brawl.

Pahal, who represented India in the 60kg lightweight division, had won the gold medal in the national junior boxing event in 2011 in Pune.

Jai Bhagwan - Boxer

Tow-time Asian Championship medallist and Arjuna awardee Jai Bhagwan, who was an inspector with Haryana police, was suspended for assaulting a hotel manager. In 2015, Bhagwan was also suspended following allegations that he took a bribe of INR 1 lakh.

He had taken the bribe from three gamblers who were arrested in August in Haryana’s Hisar district. One of the arrested gamblers, a businessman, had approached police with a complaint against Jai Bhagwan.

Tanveer Hussain - Snowshoe competitor

In 2017, Tanveer Hussain, a snowshoe racer from Kashmir, was arrested in the United States for sexually abusing a minor girl.

Hussain went to New York with fellow athlete Abid Hussain Khan to take part in the World Snowshoe Championships.

The incident had happened during the event.

The 29-year-old athlete was charged with first-degree sexual abuse, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanour for "engaging in a passionate kiss" with the 12-year-old victim and "touching her in an intimate area over her clothing."

Though he had avoided trial by pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, he was later deported.