New Delhi: Wrestler Parveen Rana on Monday accused two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar of “personally instigating” his supporters to manhandle him after the Commonwealth Games selection trials recently. “As soon as the bout ended Sushil Kumar told his supporters ‘yeh raha isko dekhle’ (here he is, show him) and then walked into a room. He personally inistigated them,” Rana said.
A brawl between the supporters of both the camps took place as soon as the trials concluded at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here. Rana’s elder brother was injured in the scuffle. The Wrestling Federation of India had issued a notice to Sushil as a part of its investigation into the fracas that followed the selection trials. “He was hit by a chair on his head. We have taken him for a MRI scan,” Rana said.
Asked about the bout, Rana alleged it was Sushil’s strategy to claim he had been bitten in order to take rest during the bout. “I did not bite Sushil. There is a move in wrestling called ‘Kheme Dav’. In that move the opponent’s wrist slides pass the mouth. Sushil was trying to rub his wrist again and again on my mouth,” Rana said at the sidelines of a Pro Wrestling League event.
“It was his strategy, he showed the blood on his hand to the referee and took rest four times during the bout,” he added. Rana also claimed he was threatened before the national championships, and he gave a walk-over to Sushil at the event because of an injury. “During the nationals I was threatened. I don’t know who was behind it but a few men came to me and threatened me. “I gave the walkover because I was injured. I knew I had the CWG trials a few days later and I wanted to focus on that,” Rana said.
