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Updated March 18th, 2021 at 12:41 IST

What happened to Ritika Phogat? Geeta-Babita’s 17-year-old cousin dies, fans shocked

What happened to Ritika Phogat? Geeta-Babita’s 17-year-old cousin tragically committed suicide earlier this week after losing a tournament final.

Reported by: Sreehari Menon
What happened to Ritika Phogat
| Image:self
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Indian wrestling fans were dealt with a piece of shocking news on Thursday after the news of young Ritika Phogat's death was made public. To answer the 'Who is Ritika Phogat? query, she was the maternal cousin sister of Geeta and Babita Phogat of Dangal fame and aged just 17. She had taken part in a wrestling tournament before her untimely passing. It is believed that the Ritika Phogat cause of death is suicide by hanging. Here's a look at 'How did Ritika Phogat die?' and 'Why did Ritika Phogat commit suicide?' queries.

What happened to Ritika Phogat? Why did Ritika Phogat commit suicide?

Part of the famous wrestling family, Ritika Phogat was playing the state-level sub-junior, junior women, and men wrestling tournament in Bharatpur. The 17-year-old lost the final by 1 point and hung herself to death after not being able to endure the disappointment of the loss, which explains the Ritika Phogat cause of death. However, questions remain whether external influences played a role and what role did they have in answering the 'Why did Ritika Phogat commit suicide?' query.

Haryana's Charkhi Dadri District Superintendent of Police Ram Singh Bishnoi released a statement saying the investigation into what happened to Ritika Phogat, has started. The youngster is said to have hung herself from a ceiling fan, on the night of Monday, March 15. 

Who is Ritika Phogat? Promising wrestler commits suicide after losing wrestling final, Twitter fraternity reacts

Vijay Kumar Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, was one of the first to authenticate the news of Ritika's suicide on social media. Singh wrote that the 17-year-old had a long career ahead and has called for young athletes to be trained to deal with pressure. Ritika Phogat is the maternal sister of Geeta and Babita Phogat, the wrestling sensations who were also the topic of the blockbuster Bollywood film Dangal. She had trained under Dronacharya Awardee Mahavir Singh Phogat, who was also reportedly present at the tournament. A resident of Jaitpur village in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu, the 17-year-old had been learning and practising wrestling for over five years at the Mahavir Phogat Sports Academy in Haryana.

Mahavir Phogat was an amateur wrestler himself while his eldest daughter, Geeta Phogat, is a freestyle wrestler who won India's first-ever gold medal in wrestling at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Geeta is also the first-ever Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for the Olympics (2012 London Games). Meanwhile, her sister Babita Phogat also won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, bronze at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships, and followed it up with a gold medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Ritu Phogat took to social media on Thursday to say that the family is still in shock about the incident and said that she will miss her younger sister Ritika. The wrestler-turned mixed martial artist has urged people to not spread and believe in any rumours and added that these are tough times for everyone in the family. Ritu wrote that she still cannot believe what happened but hopes that her "choti behen Ritika" is resting in peace. 

(Image Courtesy: Ritu Phogat Twitter)

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Published March 18th, 2021 at 12:21 IST

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