The day they killed an Olympic hockey champion: Prithipal Singh

India Today

20-05-2025

On the languid morning of May 20th, 1983, forty-one years ago, as Ludhiana awakened with its usual bustle of thickening traffic and hurried commuters, a different pace unfolded within the sprawling 1200-acre campus of Punjab Agricultural University. Adjacent to the then-developing Sarabha Nagar, the university grounds saw a gentler stirring, with some already engaged in their tasks and others just beginning their day.advertisementThe characteristic thump of the Royal Enfield 350 echoed, making its way to Thapar Hall, the administrative block from the PAU residential area. The deep rumble of a "Bullet" – or "Bult," as it was known in the rural heartlands of Punjab – was a familiar sound on the PAU campus. This 350cc motorcycle, with its robust build, wasn't merely a vehicle; it was a cultural icon, deeply intertwined with a sense of machismo in the region.Prithipal Singh, the celebrated three-time Olympic medallist, silver (60'), Gold (64') and bronze (68'); the gold at Tokyo, the crowning glory of his storeyed career, which also included join-captainship of the 68' Mexico Olympic team, the aura also stemmed from his being top scorer at all the three Olympic Games, arrived on his familiar Royal Enfield. In the campus to many he was Prithipal or 'Pirthi Paji'.advertisement
Dressed in a crisp white shirt, a light green turban, and grey cotton trousers, he dismounted and parked his motorcycle in its usual spot beneath the shade of the trees beside Thapar Hall.'Paji'.The address was barely a whisper. An undertone.Just as Prithipal's left hand gripped the bike's left handlebar and his right hand manoeuvred the heavy, nearly 200kg Royal Enfield onto its stand, the precise moment arrived. The clock was nearing 9 am, perhaps a few minutes past.While steadying the motorcycle, Prithipal turned his head back, a half swivel. In those final seconds, he likely never saw his killer's face clearly, only an outstretched hand and a partially concealed face. A bullet struck him in the face. A vivid crimson stain blossomed against the white of his shirt. The Olympic Champion's legs buckled, the hands sliding off the bike. In the next second, the second killer stepped forward, the bullet, hitting him in the back. Crimson bloomed on the white of his shirt.The two assailants walked away swiftly, then paused. The second shooter advanced once more. From the corner of his eye, he had noticed Prithipal trying to get up. They couldn't afford any risks. The Dean of Students Welfare had a reputation for being formidable and unyielding; they couldn't allow him to survive. It was common knowledge that Prithipal carried a gun tucked into his waistband behind his back, and they feared he might reach for it.advertisementTwo more shots were fired. The two killers, who would later be identified as students, walked away swiftly. Roughly fifty meters in the distance, the sudden roar of a motorcycle engine accelerating announced their escape.The gunshots froze the two dozen or so eyewitnesses – some accounts even placed the figure at over fifty – a group clustered on the ground floor, others on the first, and a few just entering the administrative block. For a moment, everyone stood motionless, allowing the killers ample time to flee. As the initial shock dissipated, confusion gave way to utter chaos. Prithipal, likely clinging to life, was rushed by car to the Christian Medical College, where he was pronounced dead.Landlines across the state buzzed with urgent calls – the Vice-Chancellor's office, the Chancellor's office (who also served as the Punjab governor), the Chief Minister's office – while police jeeps and cars sped from the Sarabha Nagar Police Station. The political machinery absorbed the shocking news. By noon, the word had spread throughout the state and even reached the desk of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, in the nation's capital: Olympic champion Prithipal Singh had been shot dead.advertisementIn a way, it was the culmination of almost five years of unrest at the PAU which started with the death of a student leader, Prithipal Singh Randhawa, followed by the murder of Piara Singh, another student and a celebrated handball player. The assassination of Prithipal Singh was seemingly foretold when a student leader, Ajaib Singh, at Piara's Bhog ceremony on May 11th, picked up a handful of Piara's ashes and vowed to eliminate Prithipal.The chilling reality was that Prithipal had, in a way, foreseen this tragic fate. He had sent letters to the SSP Police in Ludhiana and the Vice-Chancellor, explicitly stating a death threat against him and even suggesting May 20th as a possible date. Yet, whether through deliberate inaction or sheer negligence, a contingent of 6-8 policemen, despite being present on campus under the command of Sub-Inspector Ravinder Singh and ASI Baggar Singh along with seven other constables, failed to position themselves either along his usual route or at Thapar Hall. This lapse fuelled numerous conspiracy theories. Prithipal himself, however, did little to avert the danger. Despite being advised to travel by car, the man who had breached some of the world's strongest defences, the leading scorer for India in three consecutive Olympic Games, the undisputed 'King' of penalty corners, likely dismissed the threat posed by a seemingly disorganized group of students seeking his demise.advertisementDisturbingly, in Prithipal's trouser pocket, Victor Dasiah, the acting general superintendent of the CMC, discovered a list containing the names of 16 students. This list had been given to Prithipal by another student named Pritpal. However, Victor would later deny providing any such list to the police during court proceedings.One by one, the eyewitnesses turned hostile. One initially identified an accused individual but then recanted, stating he "might have been mistaken." The judiciary did not delve deeply into these inconsistencies. Meanwhile, the police recovered a file from Prithipal's residence. This file contained a substantial dossier, meticulously compiled over three years of painstaking investigation, detailing alleged corruption within the campus and the purported nexus between students, teaching staff, and the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Amrik Singh Cheema.Prithipal had sought a meeting with the Chancellor through the Vice-Chancellor. The BB Mahajan Commission, established by the Governor and University Chancellor, AP Sharma, to investigate the university's administration, including the corruption allegations, granted him an appointment for June 8th. Tragically, June never arrived for Prithipal.advertisementThat crucial dossier vanished. Considering Prithipal Singh's stature and prominence, the subsequent investigation was remarkably sluggish. Even after one of the accused, Bachittar Singh, surrendered in court, confessed to the crime, and even led the police to the location of the pistol and live cartridges – with the Central Forensic Laboratory of Chandigarh confirming it was the murder weapon – Bachittar later recanted, claiming he had been coerced into confessing. Ultimately, the cases were dismissed by the court.It was a failure of the University; it's leadership and a complete breakdown of the administration. Prithipal didn't help himself either. His strong personality, the Olympian halo, and his larger-than-life presence blinded him. Those who knew him well also knew this side of his character. Loyalty, respect and regard mattered deeply to him. He expected a certain level of deference. His decisions were firm, and he had a clear sense of right and wrong. But sometimes what he saw as 'right' may not have been right for the situation that prevailed.In that tragic sequence of events, beginning with the death of Prithipal Singh Randhawa and continuing through the murder of Piara Singh, Prithipal Singh himself did not retreat. He neither sought legal recourse nor attempted to comprehend the intense anger brewing within the student body. Rather than trying to quell the unrest, he became entangled in it. And, while he may not have been directly involved, the campus, the students, and the Punjab Students Union believed otherwise; they were convinced he supported a faction opposed to the Union.Prithipal had never backed down from a fight –be it on the hockey field, in opposition to Indian Hockey Federation President Ashwini Kumar, or even when his participation in the 1964 Olympic Games was threatened. This was university politics, and he believed this was his turf.It is a recurring theme in tragedy: hubris.Sundeep Misra is a senior sports journalist and author. His latest book, The Killing of An Olympic Champion, is due soon.