Ashwini Manohar Paul, a.k.a. Ashwini Paul, a national-level wrestler from Maharashtra, died after allegedly jumping into a 100-foot gorge from the historic Naldurg Fort in Maharashtra's Dharashiv district. She took the extreme step along with her three children—a son and twin daughters—the police said.
While Ashwini and her five-and-a-half-year-old son, Ajinkya, died on the spot, one of her two-and-a-half-year-old twin daughters, Kranti, later succumbed to her injuries during treatment. Her other daughter, Veera, was critically injured and was placed on ventilator support at the Government Hospital in Dharashiv, NDTV confirmed in a report.
An accomplished wrestler who won five gold and six silver medals at the national level, she entered the fort along with her three children at 1:13 pm, the entry register reportedly confirmed. According to local media reports, she told an Archaeology Department employee at the entry counter that her husband was following behind them.
The wrestler was carrying a cake and chocolates, and when this was challenged for breaking the ban on food inside the fort, Paul told employees that it was her child's birthday, TV9 Kannada said in a report. However, the investigation has reportedly revealed that none of her three children was born on September 4, the report added.
It is not immediately known whether her husband actually followed her into the fort. The incident has caused widespread shock, given that Ashwini was an accomplished wrestler. Meanwhile, her father has reportedly alleged that she was a victim of perennial harassment by her husband and in-laws. She was subjected to physical as well as mental torture, he reportedly alleged. Police are investigating the allegations and the circumstances leading to the incident.
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