FROM ATHLETE TO DACIOT

Paan Singh Tomar (1932 – October 1, 1981) was an Indian athlete and a seven-time national steeplechase champion during the 1950s and 1960s. He represented India at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan. Tomar also served in the Indian Army, and it was in the army where his talent was first recognized. After premature retirement from the army he settled back in his native village. Later he gained notoriety as a Chambal Valley dacoit when he resorted to banditry after a land feud in his village.
He was killed on October 1st, 1981 in a police ambush. A biopic, Paan Singh Tomar, was released in 2012 to much critical acclaim. It was written by Sanjay Chouhan, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and starred Irrfan Khan as Paan Singh Tomar and Mahie Gill as his wife.
He is survived by his second son Souram Singh, a 53-year-old retired Army Subedar and his 75-year-old wife Indira who lives far from Chambal Valley for fear of being killed by Paan Singh Tomar's old enemies or the police.

Life and career

Paan Singh Tomar was born in village Bhidausa (Morena, Madhya Pradesh) in a Tomar/Tanwar Rajput family. Hailing from a small town in Madhya Pradesh, Tomar became a seven time national steeplechase champion during the 1950s and 1960s. He created the national steeplechase record in the 1958 National Games in Cuttack with a timing of 9 minutes and 12.4 seconds. Later he broke his own record in the 1964 Open Meet in Delhi with a timing of 9 minutes and 4 seconds. His record in the 3,000 m steeplechase stood for almost a decade. He is considered a legendary sports person in India.

He started his career in the Indian Army with Rajputana Rifles where he was trained as a long distance runner. But it was while working as a subedar with the Bengal Engineers in Roorkee that Tomar reached his athletic peak during the period of 1958 – 1965. He represented India in the 1958 Asian Games. He won consecutive national titles, eventually taking the place of Maria Ram in the national team and forming a partnership with Chuni Lal, another national athlete from the Jat Regiment.

According to Joginder Singh Saini, former chief national coach, the 6 feet tall Tomar could cross water jump in a single movement, whereas other athletes stepped on the obstacle to regain balance

Paan Singh Tomar with his family before he turned fugitive

It was on 1 October 1981 that Circle Inspector Mahendra Pratap Singh Chauhan and his team of six trapped and killed Paan Singh along with ten of his gang members after a gunfight that lasted more than 12 hours. Chauhan had been tipped off about Tomar's arrival by one of the village elders.^[5]

Some suggest it was after he fearlessly gave an interview to a local newspaper in Gwalior that the administration started to take his case seriously, having considered this an act of defiance. At the time he had a reward of 10,000 rupees on his head.

In a newspaper it said when Paan Singh was shot he was still alive and was asking for water: "Any rajput here who could please give me some water"; Hawaldar Tribhuwan Singh started walking to paan singh for a bit of water but Circle inspector shouted on him: "Tribhuwan, daciot has no caste". However, police denied this

FRM 

Gaurav Kalra

Nabha