FACT CHECK: World U23 Wrestling medallist Nisha Dahiya is safe, not shot dead

Nisha Dahiya, who bagged a bronze medal for India at the recently concluded U23 Wrestling World Championships in Belgrade, was reported to have been shot dead by many publications earlier today.

But, it turns out that it was a case of mistaken identity. Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) assistant secretary Vinod Tomar told The Bridge on Wednesday evening: "It has now been confirmed that it isn't the main Nisha Dahiya that everyone was speaking about. You can see the video for yourself. At the moment we dont know the identity of the person who has been shot. We will release more info in time."

The wrestler herself released a nine-second long clip wherein she clarifies that she is absolutely safe and the news run across television channels and the internet was fake.

"Hello, My name is Nisha. I have come to play senior national championships in Gonda and I am completely safe. The news about my death is fake," Nisha Dahiya can be heard saying with the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik sitting beside her.

As it turns out, a wrestler was indeed shot dead inside the Sushil Kumar Academy on Wednesday, but it was not the U23 Worlds medallist. Investigation is underway to ascertain details of the incident.

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had earlier on the day congratulated Nisha and other medallists at the World Championships via a tweet.

"Congratulations to Shivani, Anju, Divya, Radhika and Nisha for winning medals at the Wrestling Championships in Belgrade. Their performance is special and will contribute to wrestling becoming even more popular across India," the PM had tweeted.

Nisha Dahiya had previously won the bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Championships but was banned for doping by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) in 2016. She returned to the mat in 2019, and the U23 World Championships was her first major event since.