The Indian sports industry is mourning a big loss. On October 26, 35-year-old Indian Ju-Jitsu athlete Rohini Kalam was found dead at her home in Arjun Nagar, Radhaganj. As per reports, Rohini’s sister Roshni Kalam found her hanging in her room and immediately rushed her to the hospital, where the doctors declared her dead.
Both her parents were out of the house during the time of the incident. Her mother was visiting a temple with another daughter, and her father was also out of the home, who is currently a retired employee of the Bank Note Press. Rohini is the eldest daughter of the five siblings.
A case has been registered at the Bank Note Press police station, and a preliminary investigation is ongoing to determine the facts surrounding the death. However, no suicide note was found at the crime scene. The post-mortem examination reports are yet to be out.
The family has informed the police of the whereabouts related to the incident. As per Roshni’s statements, her sister was undergoing job-related stress. On the morning of the incident, Rohini was on her usual routine and had a phone call before going to her room and locking the door. Rohini was teaching in a private school in Ashta as a martial arts coach.
Her statement read, “She was worried about her job. The faculty at her school was troubling her. Her school’s principal was troubling her. I could sense it from the way she was speaking on her phone.”
In addition to that, Rohini’s father revealed that she used to reject marriage proposals and had aimed to become an IPS officer. Five months before, she also underwent surgery for a stomach lump and remained unwell. But it was work-related stress that led to the incident.
Rohini’s sporting career
Rohini’s career in sports goes back to 2007, when she started her journey in Jiu-Jitsu, and her professional stage came in 2015. She represented India at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou back in 2022, which earned her the prestigious qualification at the World Games in Birmingham. She was the only Indian athlete to have received the selection. Besides that, she also qualified in the Combat Games held in Saudi Arabia.
When it comes to her achievements, she won a bronze medal at the 2022 Thailand Open Grand Prix held in Bangkok in the 48 kg division. She added another bronze medal at the 8th Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship held in Abu Dhabi in 2024 in the duo classic event.
Rohini was the first tribal female athlete to represent India in Ju-Jitsu on the global stage in international events and tournaments.
(Inputs sourced form TOI & NDTV Sports)
