Sushil Kumar, 39, one of India’s most decorated athletes, was arrested in May 2021 shortly after the death of fellow wrestler Sagar Dhankar (sometimes written as Sagar Dhankad or Sagar Rana). The 23-year-old Dhankar had been beaten to death with sticks by a gang of men within Delhi’s famed Chhatrasal Stadium.
Kumar was named a suspect in the attack by police who claimed to have obtained cell phone camera footage from the incident. After he was named Kumar lead police on a 20 day manhunt before being captured.
Kumar has remained in jail since his arrest. He has repeatedly been denied bail on grounds that witnesses are ‘terrified’ of Kumar and his alleged connections to organized crime in Delhi and the neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.