Rohtak: Sukhwinder, the 34-year-old wrestling coach arrested Saturday for allegedly shooting dead five persons at Jat Akhada in Haryana’s Rohtak, could have planned a much larger crime, according to chilling details that have emerged. He had allegedly called many more people he knew, mostly wrestlers, to the crime spot on the day of the murders, and they believe he “planned to kill everyone he ever had a dispute with”.
According to the police, Sukhwinder wanted “revenge” as he was terminated from service after a woman wrestler, Pooja, who trained at Jat Akhada, accused him of harassment and complained to coach Manoj Kumar. Pooja and Manoj were among the five people he allegedly shot dead.
The three others were also coaches at the Jat Akhada — Sakshi Malik, Satish Dalal and Pradeep Malik. Manoj and Sakshi were husband and wife. Their three-year-old son, Sartaj, was shot at too, the police said. He is battling for his life at PGIMS, Rohtak.
Delhi Police sources said Sukhwinder was sacked just a few days before the crime.
Sukhwinder allegedly shot all five dead at the akhada’s dressing room and locked it before fleeing from the spot.
He also allegedly shot at Amarjeet Singh, a coach from his previous workplace, Mehar Singh Akhada, just 2 kilometres away from Jat Akhada.
He had allegedly called Singh to “apologise for his unruly behaviour” in the past. Singh is being treated at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram where his condition is stated to be stable.
“I saw Sukhwinder coming towards my car at some distance from Jat Akhada. I tried to open the window door for him. Before I could sense anything, he fired at me,” he told ThePrint from the hospital.
“On the day of the murders, he called dozens of national and international-level wrestlers and pleaded with them to meet him. But those who stayed back, are fortunate. He must have planned to kill everyone he ever had a dispute with,” Mohit Malik, the owner of Mehar Singh Akhada, told ThePrint.
Another player who Sukhwinder had allegedly called that evening told ThePrint: “He asked me to come to the Jat Akhada and meet him. He wasn’t sounding himself. I sensed something wrong. After calling me, he called another wrestler and then yet another.”
Many of these wrestlers, who did not wish to be named, said they could also have become his “victims” if they went to meet him that day.
Sources in the Rohtak police confirmed that Sukhwinder had called many others to the Jat Akhada that day, adding that they are investigating this.
Sukhwinder was arrested by the Delhi Police from Samaypur Badli border. He will be produced in a Haryana court after the Rohtak police takes him into its custody.
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‘Sukhwinder lacked sportsmanship’
As the wrestling fraternity is trying to come to terms with the gruesome incident, a strange silence now surrounds the akhadas in Rohtak.
ThePrint visited the Mehar Singh Akhada, where Sukhwinder initially trained as a player and later taught as a coach.
The deceased coaches were earlier associated with this akhada, before they started the Jat Akhada three years ago.
Mehar Singh Akhada’s main hall still has a photo of Sukhwinder with the victims, all smiling with national and international-level wrestlers.
“This game has always hit the headlines for national pride, often winning Olympics for the country. This episode has put a question mark on our sportsmanship and brotherhood. These two are the foundation of our game. Sukhwinder lacked both,” said Mohit Malik.
One of the players at the akhada confirmed that Sukhwinder called him at the Jat Akhada that evening. “He sounded very emotional that day. He was repenting that he left us,” said the wrestler.
Nineteen-year-old national-level wrestler Robin Hooda, who practises at Mehar Singh Akhada, was among the first few people who saw the five bodies lying in a pool of blood at the Jat Akhada dressing room.
Speaking to ThePrint, he recalled how Sukhwinder “emotionally blackmailed” coach Amarjeet Singh to meet him.
“He called coach sahab (Amarjeet Singh) to apologise for his unruly behaviour (in the past). He emotionally blackmailed him to meet him right away. It was around 6 pm (Friday),” Hooda said.
“The coach left in his car for the Jat Akhada and he was shot at in the car itself. The bullet pierced through his face,” he added.
Speaking to ThePrint, Amarjeet Singh said: “That day Sukhwinder kept calling me for half an hour. He desperately wanted me to come to Jat Akahda…”
Coach Ravi, who was with him on the day of the murder, confirmed this: “I asked Amarjeet not to go. But Sukhwinder called him five times.”
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‘He had a troubled married life’
During his initial interrogation, Sukhwinder admitted to taking revenge because he was sacked after being accused of harassment, a source in the Delhi Police told ThePrint.
“He proposed to a female player (Pooja) for marriage. After this, she complained about it to her parents. Her parents approached Manoj Kumar and Sukhwinder’s services were terminated after this,” the source said.
The FIR, filed by Manoj’s brother, said: “Parents of Pooja approached my brother to complain about his bad behaviour. My brother then asked him to leave the coaching centre. This instigated him to kill my brother’s family.”
A former colleague of Sukhwinder at Mehar Singh Akhada said: “He liked Pooja and wanted to marry her, but she wasn’t interested. This one-sided affair may have been the trigger.”
A Rohtak police officer told ThePrint: “Sukhwinder already had a troubling married life, and got divorce from his wife. His family was also not in good terms with him.”
The postmortem reports of the five deceased suggested they all had suffered head injuries, said the police.
The Rohtak police registered an FIR Friday under sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act, and sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Sukhwinder.
Rahul Sharma, Superintendent of Police, Rohtak, told ThePrint, “After we get his custody Monday, we will take him to the crime spot to reconstruct the crime scene. We will further investigate the case.”
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