A national-level woman wrestler and two of her three children have died following an incident at the historic Naldurg Fort in Maharashtra's Dharashiv district, police said. The incident has caused widespread grief in the state's sporting community, with the wrestler's surviving daughter undergoing critical treatment at a government hospital.
The wrestler, identified as Ashwini Manohar Paul, died along with her five-and-a-half-year-old son, Ajinkya. One of her two-and-a-half-year-old twin daughters, Kranti, later succumbed to her injuries during treatment. Her other daughter, Veera, remains critically injured and is currently receiving ventilator support at the Government Hospital in Dharashiv.
Paul was known in Maharashtra's wrestling circles and was popularly referred to as the "Maharashtra's Tigress". During her sporting career, she won five gold and six silver medals at the national level, establishing herself as a recognised wrestler in the state. News of her death and the loss of her children has drawn condolences from people associated with the sporting community.
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Ashwini's father has alleged that his daughter had faced continuous mental and physical harassment from her husband and in-laws. The allegations have added another dimension to the investigation, with police examining the circumstances surrounding the incident and the claims made by her family.
A case has been registered at Naldurg Police Station, and investigators are looking into the events that preceded the incident. Police are also examining the allegations of harassment and other circumstances as part of the ongoing probe. The deaths have left Ashwini's family and the wider wrestling community mourning the loss of an accomplished athlete and two children. The condition of her surviving daughter remains critical as she continues to receive medical treatment.
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