Who is Ritika Phogat? Ritika Phogat, a budding wrestler and cousin of Olympian and Commonwealth Games winners Geeta and Babita Phogat, reportedly died by suicide on March 17.
The younger sister Ritu Phogat, who is playing the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) these days, tweeted, "Rest in Peace choti behen Ritika. I still can't believe what just happened with you Will miss you forever."
Rest in Peace choti behen Ritika. I still can't believe what just happened with you Will miss you forever ๐๐ Om Shanti ๐ฅบ๐ข๐๐ผ pic.twitter.com/LiLum1kbYB
โ Ritu phogat (@PhogatRitu) March 18, 2021
Ram Singh Bishnoi, DSP, Charkhi Dadri said the reason behind her suicide might have been the defeat she had faced at a recent wrestling tournament in Rajasthan. Bishnoi assured the investigation is underway.
Haryana | 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: Ram Singh Bishnoi, DSP, Charkhi Dadri pic.twitter.com/bLDZbsS3gT
โ ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2021
Who is Ritika Phogat?
1. Seventeen-year-old Ritika Phogat is the cousin of celebrated wrestling duo Geeta and Babita Phogat. She was their maternal cousin.
2. Reportedly, Ritika took her own life after she failed to "bear" the disappointment of the loss at a wrestling tournament final in Bharatpur on Wednesday (15 March). She was just 17.
3. Ritika had trained under Dronacharya Awardee and father of the Phogat sisters Mahavir Singh Phogat, who was also reportedly present at the tournament. She was a student of the Mahavir Phogat Sports Academy, where Geeta and Babita Phogat also received their training.
4. As per a report in MyKhel, a "distressed" Ritika hanged herself at around 11 pm on Wednesday as she "could not bear the embarrassment of defeat in the final match", held between March 12 and 14.
5. She had participated in a state-level sub-junior, junior women, and men wrestling competition at Lohagarh Stadium, where she lost the final by just a narrow margin.
6. She is the winner of many domestic as well as regional wrestling championships. A resident of Jaitpur village in Rajasthanโs Jhunjhunu, Ritika had been learning and practicing wrestling for over five years.
Feature Image Credit: News18 Hindi