Mystery surrounds the death of Arjuna awardee DSP Dalbir Singh Deol

Dalbir Singh Deol, an Arjuna awardee and Punjab deputy superintendent of police (DSP), was found dead on Monday morning under mysterious circumstances. He is remembered by those who knew him as one of the finest weightlifters of his time. PREMIUM DSP Dalbir Singh Deol (File) The 54 year old's contemporaries remember him as a peerless athlete, as someone who had not only excelled in his sports but also as a person who rose from the position of constable to DSP in Punjab police.

Deol's body was found abandoned near a canal at Basti Bawa Khel in Jalandhar town on Monday morning. Previously, the police had pursued a case of hit and run but after doctors examined the body in a mortuary at Jalandhar civil hospital on Monday evening, they found a bullet injury mark at the back of his head.

A mystery shrouds his death as the police are still clueless about the assailants. An investigation is underway and Punjab police have gathered vital clues regarding Doel’s enmity with some people. Punjab police started an investigation after Deol's family lodged a complaint that he had gone out for New Year celebrations with friends on Sunday but failed to return home.

Hailing from Khojewal village in Kapurthala district, Deol took up weightlifting at the age of 14 after the village sports club arranged weightlifting equipment for training aspiring wrestlers. “Deol began initial weightlifting training in his village. Soon after that, there was no looking back as he went to Jalandhar Sports College for professional training,” said Ranjit Singh Deol, one of his friends.

Sandeep Kumar, assistant coach of Olympian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, said he and Deol used to train together in Jalandhar and his energy and dedication towards the sport was unmatched. “Deol held the national record in his name in the super heavyweight category for nearly 10 years. Several weightlifters spared no effort to break his national record in both snatch and clean and jerk categories but failed to do so during those years,” Sandeep said.

He added that Deol was able to lift 180kg in the snatch category and 225 230kg in the clean and jerk category. Deol was an Asian Games silver medalist in weightlifting in 1999 and clinched the silver in the Commonwealth Games in the same year. He was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2000.

Bahadur Singh, ace shotput thrower and Deol's colleague from Punjab police said that Dalbir was an excellent weightlifter and no one could match his skills at that time. “He was disciplined in his training and diet which made him one of the best athletes of his time. He brought several laurels for his country and Punjab by making podium finishes in major tournaments,” Singh said.

His friend Ranjit Deol said before joining the Punjab police, Dalbir was recruited in the Indian railways through the sports quota. In 1989, he shifted to Canada and even received permanent residency before coming back to India to pursue his dream of having a career in weightlifting in 1993. “He had faced tough times in his life due to his son's mental handicap.

Later, Deol was diagnosed with acute diabetes due to which one of his legs was amputated and replaced with an artificial limb,” he said. Meanwhile, the police have started gathering CCTV footage to determine the sequence of events that led up to Deol's death. Jalandhar Commissionerate police have constituted a special investigation team to be headed by deputy commissioner of police (investigation) Harvinder Singh Virk for a thorough investigation into the matter.

The police registered a case under sections 302 (murder) and 379 B (robbery) of the IPC and other sections of the Arms Act after the discovery of the bullet injury mark on Deol's body. DCP Virk said the investigation is still on as they have gathered vital clues in this matter. “Nothing concrete could be disclosed as of now.

We are investigating the case from all the possible angles,” he said. Continue reading with HT Premium Subscription Daily E Paper I Premium Articles I Brunch E Magazine I Daily Infographics Subscribe Now @1199/year Already Subscribed? Sign In SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Share this article Share Via Copy Link ABOUT THE AUTHOR Navrajdeep Singh Navrajdeep Singh is a senior staff correspondent.

He covers agriculture, crime, local bodies, health and education in the Patiala district of Punjab. ...view detail Weightlifter Arjuna Award Special Investigation Team Diabetes Bullet Injury.