Ritika Phogat commits suicide after losing a match, investigation underway
Ritika Phogat was the cousin sister of the famous Phogat sisters. Just like the four Phogat sisters, Ritika, too, was on her course to become a wrestler, as she was training and participating in amateur wrestling shows. However, a loss has seemingly ended a possible bright career ahead.
FollowIn what could be considered sad news for Indian wrestling, Ritika Phogat, the famous Phogat sisters' cousin sister, has reportedly committed suicide. Apparently, it all happened after the 17-year-old lost a wrestling match.
According to multiple reports, Ritika hanged herself after she lost a wrestling match just by a point. She had supposedly taken part in the state-level sub-junior and junior women competition, held in Bharatpur between March 12-14.
While she appeared in the final, she lost her match to an opponent wrestler she probably could not bear, while Dronacharya Awardee Mahabir Pahalwan watched the game. After being extremely depressed following her loss, she hung herself the next day, around 11 PM. Ritika hailed from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan and was a famous Mahavir Phogat Sports Academy product, as she seemingly had a promising career ahead.
Meanwhile, the Haryana police Superintendent of the Charkhi Dadri district, Ram Singh Bishnoi, has stated that the investigation has begun. "Ritika, wrestler and cousin of Babita Phogat, died allegedly by suicide on March 17. The reason behind it might have been her defeat at a recent wrestling tournament in Rajasthan. Investigation underway," he said.
In the meantime, Ritika's cousin sister and Olympian, Geeta, took to her social media and expressed her grief on the situation. "May my younger sister give peace to the soul of my maternal uncle's girl Ritika. It is a sorrowful time for my family. Ritika was an up-and-coming wrestler; I do not know why she took such a step. Winning and losing is a part of a player's life; we should not take any such step🙏😢," she wrote.
Also, Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Vijay Kumar Singh, sent out his condolences. "Terrible news that we lost #RitikaPhogat who had a brilliant career ahead. The world has changed from where it was some decades ago. Athletes are facing pressures, which were not there earlier. An essential part of their training should be to deal with these pressures," he wrote on Twitter.
