Sushil Kumar is a double Olympic and World Cup gold medalist in wrestling.
Now the 39-year-old Indian is on trial for murder.
Kumar and 17 other people were indicted in a Delhi court on Wednesday. More than a year ago they were arrested after the death of 23-year-old wrestler Sagar Dankar.
The court says investigators have provided sufficient evidence against Kumar, who himself maintains his innocence and has accused the police of tampering with him.
Kumar is accused of murder, kidnapping, rioting and the use of a deadly weapon and prosecutors consider him a central figure in the incident that shocked the Indian sports world in May 2021.
Kumar was arrested after a week-long manhunt over the deadly altercation that was said to be rooted in a personal and professional rivalry between the wrestlers.
Prosecutors allege that Kumar and the co-accused beat Dankar and his friends with batons and other weapons outside a circuit in Delhi, leaving the victim to die. In a video clip – the prosecution says is real – he is seen attacking Dankar, who died in hospital.
Pardeep Rana, a lawyer representing one of the defendants, said his client was arrested on false charges.
Kumar was one of the best wrestlers in the world and won the Olympic bronze medal in Beijing 2008 and the silver medal in London 2012. He was also the reigning champion of India in London and won the gold medal at the 2010 World Cup.
