Budding kabaddi player’s leg amputated after attack by rivals; kin seek help

Two days ago on Friday, doctors at DMCH had to amputate his right leg due to rising infection levels, ending Dalvir’s journey towards glory that had just started. His family says that Dalvir was targeted by some youths in the village as they nursed rivalry against him due to his rising fame in kabaddi circles and had also threatened him in the past that they “won’t let him play and break his legs.”

While the Ludhiana rural police registered an FIR for attempt to murder against five youths of which three have been arrested, for the youngster’s family, all that’s left is a room full of trophies and medals that their son had won in his short yet glorious kabaddi career, and a worry that how they will tell him about his amputated leg once he regains consciousness and the fact that he might not be able to play kabaddi ever again.

Heartbroken over the tragedy that has struck his young son, Davinder Singh, the boy’s father, who is a factory worker earning just around Rs 12,000 a month, is also now battling a financial crisis and needs help for further treatment of his son.

“He was our only hope… he had started getting famous. He was doing well as kabaddi was his passion. He has been playing since childhood and a coach in our village was training him. Recently, he also participated in ‘Khedan Wattan Punjab Diyan’ which was organized by CM Bhagwant Mann. He was scheduled to participate in his first international match at Surrey in Canada on June 26 and his flight was on June 20 but right ahead of that, he was attacked on June 15 and now he might not play kabaddi ever again,” said teary-eyed father. “During Covid, when I got jobless, my son worked as a security guard for two months to help me run the home. Then I told him that he shouldn’t work anymore and just concentrate on his kabaddi. The sport was his heart and soul,” he added.

According to the FIR registered at Jodhan police station, Dalvir along with his friend Gurpreet Singh were returning to their village on the night of June 15, when a group of his rivals rammed their Tata Indica Vista vehicle into his bike from behind “with an intention to kill him”.

The bike then fell into a drain and Dalvir’s head hit the concrete wall and iron angles, and his legs were also crushed. Police booked Kulwinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, Manish Bagar and two unidentified persons under section 307 (attempt to murder) and other sections of IPC.

The FIR adds that earlier also, the same youths had threatened and trespassed into the house of Dalvir’s paternal uncle Gursharan Singh who had got an FIR registered against them. Three persons have been arrested.

“They had issued threats to our son earlier also that they wouldn’t let him play kabaddi and would break his legs. They are not players but just misguided youths who wanted Dalvir to not play. They had started nursing rivalry against him since he had started earning praise for his game,” said Gursharan Singh, his paternal uncle.

Dr Ashwani K Chaudhary, medical superintendent and head, department of neurosurgery, DMCH, said that Dalvir’s right leg was amputated due to high infection levels and he was under observation.

SAD MLA from Dakha, Manpreet Singh Ayali said that he has urged police to investigate the matter fairly and catch all those who were responsible for the brutal attack. ” “His room is full of trophies and medals he had won in a short span of time. We have no idea how we are going to tell him that he has lost his one leg. Doctors told us that they tried their best to save his leg but infection was too high which might have taken his life. His muscles also became unresponsive and blood circulation stopped in the right leg. He is still on a ventilator and unconscious. Now we are just praying for his life. Sadda taan sab kuch khatam ho gaya (For us, everything is finished),” said the father, appealing to the government and public to help him in bearing his son’s treatment cost.