In a tragic turn of events, international jujitsu player and martial arts coach Rohini Kalam, who represented India at the Asian Games, was found dead at her residence in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, on Sunday.
The 35-year-old athlete's death is suspected to be a case of suicide, according to police officials.
The incident occurred at the family's home in Arjun Nagar, Radhaganj. Rohini's younger sister, Roshni Kalam, discovered her hanging in her room and immediately raised an alarm. Family members rushed her to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival. At the time, Rohini's mother was visiting a temple with another daughter, while her father, a retired Bank Note Press employee, was also away.
Investigating officers confirmed that no suicide note was recovered from the scene. Roshni told police that her sister had been working as a martial arts coach at a private school in Ashta and had been under significant stress related to her job. "She was worried about her job. The faculty at her school were troubling her. Her school's principal was troubling her. She was worried about her job. I could sense it from the way she was speaking on her phone," Roshni said as quoted as saying by India Today.
Rohini had returned home to Dewas just a day earlier, on Saturday. On Sunday morning, she reportedly had breakfast and tea with her family and later spoke to someone on the phone before locking herself in her room.
Her father told police that Rohini was the eldest of five siblings and had often turned down marriage proposals. She dreamed of becoming an IPS officer and had been attempting to win the Vikram Award for the past two years but was not selected. Her family also shared that she underwent surgery for a stomach lump about five months ago and had not fully recovered since. They alleged that her school's principal had been mentally harassing her, which could have contributed to her distress.
Police have registered a case at the Bank Note Press police station and initiated an investigation to uncover the exact circumstances leading to her death.
A pioneer in Indian jujitsu, Rohini began her sporting career in 2007 and started competing internationally in 2015.
She represented India at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, won multiple medals at the Asian Jujitsu Championships, and was the only Indian selected for the World Games in Birmingham. Her untimely demise has left the sporting community in deep shock.
