Murder-accused Olympian Sushil Kumar to coach Tihar Jail inmates on fitness, wrestling

On May 23, 2021, Sushil Kumar was arrested in connection with the murder of Sagar Dhankar at Chhatrasal Stadium, and he is lodged in jail since June 2, 2021.

Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar (Source: Twitter)

Two-time Olympic winner Sushil Kumar who is currently lodged in the national capital's Tihar Jail will coach fellow prison inmates in wrestling and impart fitness tips to them, officials said.

Tihar Jail's Director-General Sandeep Goyal told ANI on Saturday that permission has been granted to Sushil Kumar in this regard and till now, about six to seven prisoners are being trained by Sushil Kumar who holds classes inside the jail complex.

Director-General of Delhi Prisons Sandeep Goel said that prisoners who want to be coached by Sushil Kumar can now take lessons from him. The Tihar Jail administration said that a plan had been previously chalked out to involve Sushil Kumar in sports activities but due to the third wave of COVID-19 it was put on halt. The

Significantly, on May 23, 2021, Sushil Kumar and his partner Ajay Kumar were arrested in connection with the murder of Sagar Dhankar at Chhatrasal Stadium. Both the accused are lodged in jail since June 2, 2021. Kumar, along with others, allegedly assaulted former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar and his friends at the stadium in May over an alleged property dispute. Dhankar succumbed to the injuries later.  According to the post-mortem report, he died due to the "cerebral damage resulting from blunt object impact."

Meanwhile, Tihar Jail officials say that since Sushil Kumar is a trained professional wrestler, all the jail inmates will also take fitness and wrestling classes from him. Reports, including an assessment of the impact of such activities on prisoners' mental health, are sent to the jail superintendent regularly. Prison officers encourage inmates to take part in the activities to ensure that they do not slip into depression.

Jail officials say inmates are encouraged to participate in activities to ensure that they remain healthy and also have good mental health. In the past, various types of sports and competitions have been organized in Tihar Jail wherein inmates were also allowed to play Kho-Kho, Volleyball, Badminton, Basketball, Chess and Carrom in the jail complex.