Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, who is currently in 6-day custody of the Delhi Police, has claimed innocence during his interrogation and has said that he was misguided by some people who suggested him to hide after the brawl at Chhatarsal Stadium.
“During police interrogation, Sushil Kumar claimed that he is innocent and he was misguided by some people around him who had advised him to hide. Sushil Kumar outrightly denied murdering Mr Dhankar by reiterating the fact that he would never support gangsters,” said a Delhi Police official.
Delhi Police sought help a psychological expert in a bid to make further progress with the investigations in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case. According to sources, Sushil is afraid of psychological expert questions and is trying to avoid the interrogation. It has been learnt by the Delhi Police is that Sushil is smart and he is mentally strong enough to manipulate the answers. This is why police need to take the help of a psychologist.
However, the case took a new turn after a crucial video— depicting Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar and his aides hitting another wrestler with sticks—surfaced on Thursday. Police officials have said that Kumar had asked his friend to record the video of the incident to terrorise the wrestling circuit in the town.
The pictures show the injured wrestler Sagar Dhankar with his back on the ground while Sushil Kumar and three others surround him. The 23-year-old wrestler later died of his injuries.
According to Crime Branch sources, Sushil Kumar is continuously changing his statement. Police have questioned eight witnesses till now. After their testimonies, Sushil Kumar was confronted in front of four of his associates who have also been arrested and sent to four days of police custody.
During the interrogation, Sushil Kumar once said ‘why will I commit murder’ while in another round of interrogation he confessed that he only wanted to teach a lesson to the deceased so that no one would mess with him in the future or consider him weak.
On the other side, Sushil Kumar’s mother Kamla Devi filed a plea in the Delhi High Court which contended that ‘excessive publicity of the suspect before the trial in a court of law, either incriminates a fair trial or results in characterising the suspect as guilty’. The petition also claimed that Sushil Kumar’s career and reputation were ‘tarnished by sensational reporting’ against him in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl that led to the death of a wrestler.
The Delhi High Court also agreed to hear the plea and the matter will be taken up on Friday.