Ritika Phogat, a cousin of Indian wrestlers Geeta and Babita Phogat, died by suicide on Thursday. According to police, Ritika took her life after losing in the final of a recent tournament in Rajasthan.
Jhojhu Kalan Station House Officer Dilbagh Singh told BOOM that Phogat's body was in her room on Wednesday. Police said that no suicide note had been found but family members said that Ritika had been low after losing in the final of a wrestling tournament in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
Police are awaiting the post-mortem report.
Originally from Rajasthan, Ritika was training to become a professional wrestler at the Mahavir Phogat Sports Academy run by her uncle in Charkhi Dadri.
Ritika's cousin Ritu, who is an MMA fighter, took to Twitter to express her shock and urge people to respect her family's privacy and not spread any rumours. Stating that the 17-year-old Ritika was a promising wrestler, Geeta and Babita Phogat expressed their shock at Ritika's demise.
Ritika had taken part in a junior and sub junior wrestling competition organised by the Rajasthan Wrestling Association from March 12-14 at the Lohagarh Stadium in Bharatpur. Speaking to BOOM, RWA official and organiser of the competition Satyaprakash said that the final was a close one with Ritika and her opponent giving their all.
Stating that it did not seem that Ritika took the loss heavily, Satyaprakash said that the both the wrestlers were evenly matched.
"Even after she lost, she did not seem down or sad to a large extent. She went back to her uncle Mahavir Phogat's academy the next morning. She was a good wrestler and I'm shocked she took such an extreme step," Satyaprakash said.
The Phogat sisters, Geeta, Babita and Vinesh along with Ritu and Priyanka are established wrestlers. Geeta, Babita and Vinesh have represented India at the Olympics while Ritu is a mixed martial artist fighting in ONE Championship.
The Bollywood film Dangal starring Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra is based on Mahavir, Geeta and Babita Phogat.
If you or anyone you know is at risk of suicide, please seek help. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of suicide helpline numbers.
