2007 World Cup winner Joginder Sharma accused of abetment of suicide

In a shocking turn of events, former India player Joginder Sharma has been accused of abetment of suicide of a Hisar resident named Pawan.

Haryana Police has registered a case against Sharma and five other men. Pawan's mother, Sunita, filed the complaint on January 2, after her son hanged himself on January 1 allegedly over a property dispute.

Sunita stated that her son's case was pending trial in court. For the unversed, Sharma is the Haryana Deputy Superintendent of Police. He became a household name after his exploits for India in the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning campaign. The right-arm pacer bowled the last over in the final between India and Pakistan and helped his team win the title.

The family of Pawan, who was 27 years old at the time of his death, refused to claim the body on Thursday, January 4. They protested outside the Hisar CMO Office. The family demands a case under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and an immediate arrest of the accused.

Apart from Sharma, the other five accused were identified as Ajayveer, Ishwar Jhajharia, Prem Khati, Arjun, and Rajendra Sihag, a hockey coach.

After the case was registered, an FIR was filed against all six accused under the IPC section 306 (abetment to suicide). According to the FIR, Sunita alleged that the case and the relentless pressure from the accused were the reasons behind her son taking the extreme step. As per the complaint, Ajayveer and Arjun asked Pawan to leave his house last week. Sunita also stated that the accused had been harassing her family for many years.

I don't know Pawan and have never met him: Joginder Sharma

Sharma, who retired from all forms of cricket in February 2023, denied the allegations, saying that he didn't know Pawan and never met him.

"I am unaware of this case. I don't know Pawan and have never met him," the Rohtak resident stated as quoted by India Today.