Kabaddi's dark underside exposes deep crime nexus in Punjab

Repeated killings reveal how Punjab's traditional sport is increasingly entangled with organised crime.

- TARUNI GANDHI CHANDIGARH

Kabaddi player Rana Balachauria was killed on December 15

The killing of Kabaddi player-turned-promoter Rana Balachauria in Mohali has once again brought focus on how Punjab's traditional sport has become entangled with organised crime, gang rivalries and alleged foreign-based handlers keeping watch over the sport's money-driven leagues.

Kanwar Digvijay Singh, popularly known as Rana Balachauria, was shot dead during a Kabaddi tournament in Sohana, Mohali, on December 15. The attack, carried out in broad daylight, sent shockwaves through the Kabaddi fraternity and highlighted growing concerns over safety at sporting events.

Senior police officers say Kabaddi tournaments have increasingly become vulnerable to criminal interference, with gangs seeking control over sponsorship money, player participation and league operations. Investigators have also pointed to the role of foreign-based handlers, particularly those operating from Canada, who allegedly coordinate threats, extortion and violence through local operatives.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, while speaking on the state's crackdown against organised crime, has repeatedly maintained that the present situation is the result of longstanding criminal networks nurtured over years, and that his government is focused on dismantling them.