Raj Babbar is 'speechless' after hearing 17-yr-old wrestler Ritika Phogat's death

Wrestler Ritika Phogat, a cousin of the Phogat sisters, allegedly committed suicide in Haryana's Charkhi Dadri district after she lost the final bout of a tournament, police said on Thursday. Actor and politician Raj Babbar took to his Twitter handle to express the shock after hearing Ritika's untimely demise.

Babbar wrote that it was just a matter of one point in the match that broke her soul. "Losing the match by just one point broke Ritika Phogat. I am speechless after reading the news of the suicide of this 17-year-old girl," Babbar wrote. "The pressure of expectations has increased so much that he has to pay the price from his life. The competition is many and life is one - we could not convince Ritika," he further explained.

सिर्फ़ एक पॉइंट से मैच हारने पर टूट गईं #RitikaPhogat । 17 साल की इस बच्ची की आत्महत्या की ख़बर पढ़कर अवाक हूं।

अपेक्षाओं का दबाव हमने इतना बढ़ा दिया कि उसे क़ीमत अपनी ज़िंदगी से चुकानी पड़ी। प्रतियोगिता कई और जीवन एक है - रितिका को ये नहीं समझा सके हम। pic.twitter.com/8NO9ikW42Y

— Raj Babbar (@RajBabbarMP)

A native of Rajasthan's Jaipur village, Ritika was staying with her uncle and Dronacharya awardee Mahavir Singh Phogat in Charkhi Dadri's Balali village under Jhojhu Kalan police station for the past four years, said Station House Officer (SHO) Dilbagh Singh. She hanged herself from a ceiling fan at her uncle's house on the night of March 15 as she was upset over losing to her rival by one point in the final bout of a championship, he said.

The championship was held in Rajasthan's Bharatpur from March 12 to 14. Ritika was learning and practicing wrestling at the Mahavir Phogat Sports Academy in Charkhi Dadri.

Wrestling star Geeta Phogat described Ritika, her maternal sister, as a "talented wrestler". "It's a very sad moment for my family. Ritika was a talented wrestler and I don't know why she took such a step. Victory and defeat are a part of an athlete's life. We should never take such a step," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

Meanwhile, Babita Phogat wrote, "This time is a time of great sorrow for the whole family. Suicide is not a solution. Both defeat and victory are important aspects of life. The loser also wins one day. Conflict is the key to success, no such step should be taken by being afraid of conflicts."

भगवान रितिका की आत्मा को शांति दे। यह समय पूरे परिवार के लिए बहुत ही दुख की घड़ी है। आत्महत्या कोई समाधान नहीं है। हार और जीत दोनों जीवन के महत्वपूर्ण पहलू हैं। हारने वाला एक दिन जीतता भी जरूर है। संघर्ष ही सफलता की कुंजी है संघर्षों से घबराकर ऐसा कोई कदम नहीं उठाना चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/ecb4DztyC4

— Babita Phogat (@BabitaPhogat)

(With PTI inputs)