Weightlifter stabs two athletes outside Meerut stadium, arrested in U.P

UP: A day after two athletes, one of them a national level discus thrower, laughed at him when he failed to lift a certain weight, a weightlifter allegedly stabbed the duo outside Kailash Prakash Sports Stadium here on Thursday, police said.

The police arrested the weightlifter identified as Yashvardhan when he tried to escape after committing the crime. Kin of the injured athletes lodged a case against the accused with Civil Lines police station.

Confirming the arrest, SP(city), Meerut, Piyush Singh said a sharp-edged weapon used in the crime had also been recovered. He said the injured athletes Anurag Patel and Rahul Singh were undergoing treatment at a hospital and they were out of danger. Both the victims and the accused are in their mid 20s.

Regional sports director Yogendrapal Singh said the incident occurred outside the stadium gate and a police picket deputed at the stadium crossing caught Yashvardhan. Singh said the stadium has one hall for



gymnastics and weightlifting. Yashvardhan and another weightlifter challenged each other to lift a certain weight while other athletes, including Rahul and Anurag who were present there, laughed at Yashvardhan when he failed to lift the weight on Wednesday.

It hurt Yashvardhan and the next day he waited for Rahul and Anurag to come out of the stadium and when they did, he stopped their motorcycle. After a brief altercation, he stabbed Anurag who was riding pillion. Sensing danger, Rahul turned the motorcycle and re-entered the stadium. While he was parking the bike, Yashvardhan also reached there and stabbed Rahul too and fled.

Guards on duty raised an alarm and chased him. Cops deputed at the crossing caught Yashvardhan and handed him over to Civil Lines police. The regional sports director and other coaches rushed the injured athletes to hospital. Regional sports director Yogendrapal Singh said Yashvardhan had been blacklisted and his entry to the stadium had been banned.