Sushil Kumar, at the height of his powers, single-handedly propelled Indian wrestling to new heights, but as police search for him in connection with a murder case, the sport's reputation has taken a hit equal to that of the trailblazing grappler. Sushil's international success sparked a movement and left an enduring legacy of inspiration. The reserved grappler from Baprola village in Najafgarh is India's only world champion in the sport (2010).
He is also the only person in Olympic history to win two individual medals.
Sushil's stellar international image, which he built over the years with spectacular results, many of which he gave himself, has been tarnished, according to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
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"Yes, I must say that this has harmed the reputation of Indian wrestling. We, on the other hand, have nothing to do with what wrestlers do off the mat. We are worried about their success on the mat "According to PTI, WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar said.
Sushil's bronze medal in wrestling at the 2008 Beijing Olympics put an end to India's 56-year wait for an Olympic medal. Following that, Yogeshwar Dutt, Geeta and Babita Phogat, their cousin Vinesh, Rio bronze medalist Sakshi Malik, and World medalists Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya, and Deepak Punia rose to prominence in Indian wrestling.
The reputation of Chhatrasal Stadium, which has delivered some of India's best wrestlers, including Sushil, Yogeshwar, Bajrang, and now Tokyo-bound Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia, has been tarnished.
Famous wrestlers like Yogeshwar and Bajrang, according to a source at the stadium, left because "they were targeted by Sushil's camp for not toeing their line."
Satpal Singh, Sushil's coach and father-in-law, was in charge of the stadium from 1982 until 2016, when he retired as additional manager.Sushil was then named as an OSD, a decision that is thought to have been made to keep the stadium under the family's control.
"Sushil, who is on Railways' deputation," the source said, "calls the shots," adding that if you don't listen to him or do what he suggests, he would secretly start threatening you.
"People are afraid to say something because they came to make a career, not to engage in politics," the source said. "They find it more convenient to quit than to endure the stadium politics."
PTI attempted to contact Sushil, his relatives, and friends for their accounts of the incidents, but all of their phones were turned off. The current situation is extremely serious, but Sushil is no stranger to controversy. Narsingh Pancham Yadav was selected by the WFI to represent India at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He later failed a drug test and accused Sushil of spiking his food, which was later proven to be untrue.Outside the stadium during the 2018 Commonwealth Games trials, when Sushil defeated Praveen Rana in the final, supporters from both camps exchanged blows.
Rana later said that the bout was repeatedly disrupted at Sushil's request, and that the officials were also assaulted, before it was eventually awarded to the 2010 World Champion. Sushil also serves as the President of the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), which recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons. He said that the SGFI secretary fabricated his signature to amend the organisation's bylaws and committed other irregularities.
In December of last year, he filed a FIR against the secretary, and in March, he was re-elected President of the body after new polls were conducted under the direction of the Sports Ministry.