Sushil Kumar suspended by Northern Railway after arrest in murder case

Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, a senior commercial manager with the Northern Railway, has been suspended following his arrest by the Delhi Police in connection with the murder of a fellow wrestler, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. “Sushil Kumar has been suspended from his job at Northern Railway as criminal offence investigation against him is underway,” Deepak Kumar said, according to news agency ANI.

Sushil Kumar, on the run for nearly three weeks, was arrested on Sunday for his alleged involvement in the death of a 23-year-old wrestler at Chhatrasal Stadium, along with co-accused Ajay from outer Delhi's Mundka area.

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Kumar had been on deputation with the Delhi government since 2015 and was posted as an officer on special duty (OSD) at Chhatrasal Stadium for development of sports at school level. His deputation was extended last year and he applied for an extension for 2021 as well which had been rejected by the Delhi government and he was sent back to his parent cadre of Northern Railway, news agency PTI cited officials as saying.

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On Tuesday, Kumar and his aide Ajay were taken to the Chhatrasal Stadium by the officers of the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch to recreate the crime scene where they had allegedly thrashed Sagar Dhankad to death late on May 4. They were also taken to Shalimar Bagh where they are believed to have rushed to after the murder, before fleeing Delhi, officials probing the crime said. "Kumar was also taken to the spot to recreate the scene of crime and ascertain the sequence of events that unfolded on the day of incident," a senior police officer was quoted as saying by PTI.

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Kumar was interrogated for almost four hours on Monday to ascertain the sequence of events on May 4 which led to the crime and also about his whereabouts after the incident. "He was also questioned about his associates and friends who helped him to hide. He will be taken to the spot for recreating the crime scene,” the officer mentioned above said.

Dhankad died early on May 5, hours after he and his two friends were thrashed allegedly by Kumar and his associates. Police have found that dispute over a flat in Model Town owned by Kumar, where Dhankad lived, had snowballed into a clash between the two groups.