Vishal Kumar Verma, a national-level wrestler, died in a freak incident at the Jaipal Singh Stadium in Ranchi on Tuesday. The 25-year-old was electrocuted due to a short circuit at the inundated and dilapidated stadium building which houses the office of the Jharkhand State Wrestling Association (JSWA). The indoor stadium, built in 1978, has been flooded with rainwater since the beginning of monsoon and its condition has worsened due to heavy rains in the past couple of weeks.

BCCL/Representational Image

Bholanath Singh, general secretary and coach of the Jharkhand State Wrestling Association, said: "Vishal had stood fourth in the last senior national wrestling championship."

"Preliminary investigation has revealed that death was due to electrocution. Vishal was using a water pump to clear out the water when the incident took place. Faulty wiring seems to be main cause for this incident," officer in-charge of Kotwali police station, Shyamanand Mandal, said.

BCCL/Representational Image

Ganesh Jha, general manager of Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam (JBVNL), told TOI: "An executive engineer visited the site and reported that there is no fault in the power connection provided by JBVNL. However, there could be a loose connection in the building's internal electrical wiring."