Wrestling legend Sukhchain Cheema killed in accident

PATIALA: Less than a week after five powerlifters, including world champion Saksham Yadav, were killed in a car accident on the Delhi-Haryana border, another road accident on Wednesday evening killed one of India's best known wrestlers and coach.
Winner of the bronze medal at the 1974 Tehran Asiad and recipient of the Dronacharya award, Sukhchain Singh Cheema, 68, died on Wednesday when his car was hit by an Alto on the Patiala bypass at around 7 pm. Sukhchain's Etios Liva car overturned from the impact leaving him with severe head injuries.

Sukhchain, who was driving his car, was on the way to his farmhouse in Bhandri village when an Alto hit his car near Mein village. The car overturned and fell into a drain nearby. Passersby and the occupants of the Alto car tried to pull Sukhchain out of the mangled remains of his car, but were not able to open the damaged doors. Police officials told TOI that precious time was lost at the first responders did not have the tools to cut open the car's doors.

With help from more people, the rescuers finally managed to pull open one of the doors and pull Sukhchain out. They rushed him to the Government Rajindra Hospital, but he was declared brought dead by the doctors.

The occupants of the Alto received minor injuries and were discharged from hospital after treatment.

Sukhchain belonged to virtually the first family of wrestling in Punjab. Having shifted to Patiala from Pakistan after Partition, the Cheemas received the patronage from the last ruler of Patiala state Maharaja Yadwinder Singh.

Sukhchain's father Kesar Singh had won the 'Rustam-e-Hind' and 'Bharat Kesri' titles and represented India at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. The family's traditional akhara is located a stone's throw from National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala.

Doctors at Rajindra hospital said when Sukhchain was brought in, no one could recognise him as he had suffered injuries on the forehead and his face was splattered with blood.

'Have not only lost my father but also guru'

P Police officials managed to track down the family from the details of the car's registration number. It was his Olympian son Palwinder Cheema who reached the hospital at around9.30 pm and confirmed that the deceased was Sukhchain.

Palwinder and the rest of the family refused to initiate any legal action against the driver of the Alto car as he had himself rushed Sukhchain to hospital.

Palwinder said he had not only lost his father but also his "guru" who had trained him in wrestling. "The void will never be filled," he said. Given the strong tradition of wrestling in the family's Palwinder too took to the sport and was conferred the Arjuna award for his achievements. He is a DSP with Punjab police and had won gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and silver at the Asian Games in 2002 and 2006. The cremation would take place on Friday Sukhchain's brother flies in from the US.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) also mourned the death of Sukhchain. Asit Kumar Saha, the vice-president of WFI said, "His death has left me in a state of shock. He was a real good friend of mine and the Almighty has taken away a very good soul from the world. This is a big loss for Indian wrestling. I will pray to God to give rest to his soul."

Dronacharya awardee and famous wrestling coach, Raj Singh said, "Both of us made sure that the next-gen of Indian wrestling are ready to take on the world. This piece of news is really devastating for me. I pray for his family and hope they are able to cope with this massive loss."