Tihar: Sushil Kumar to now coach fellow inmates on fitness

New Delhi: Two-time Olympic winner Sushil Kumar who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail will coach other prison inmates in wrestling and provide fitness tips to them, officials said on Sunday.

Kumar has been granted permission to hold classes inside the prison complex where nearly six to seven inmates are being trained by him twice or thrice a week.

According to The Indian Express, prison authorities said they had planned to include the wrestler in sports and other recreational activities last year but the increase in Covid cases meant that it never materialised. With cases on the decline this year, officials said they "encouraged" Kumar and others to indulge in sports, wrestling and other activities such as painting and singing.

Initially, Kumar trained alone while other prisoners, including former JNU student Umar Khalid, would seek tips and train with him, an officer said. The authorities later asked Kumar to help other inmates too.

"Around a dozen inmates in Tihar said they want fitness/wrestling coaching from Kumar. This has just started for those who are interested. A batch of five to six inmates is learning for now. We hope more inmates join soon," said a senior official.

Currently, the inmates are getting basic training under the supervision of the authorities. Officials said they also make reports of the sessions which are then submitted to Tihar Director-General Sandeep Goel.

Kumar was arrested in May last year along with his associates for allegedly thrashing and killing Sagar Dhankar, a young athlete, at Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi.

Last year in September, before the third wave of Covid-19, the Delhi prisons department had called professional trainers to help inmates in extra-curricular subjects such as kho-kho, volleyball, basketball, chess and carrom. All such activities are monitored and reported.