‘Gunned Down’ by Sundeep Misra: Who killed Prithipal Singh?

Hockey legend Prithipal Singh Randhawa was shot dead on the campus of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, on May 20, 1983. The murder shocked the sports world, for he was no ordinary player. Prithipal was a three-time Olympic medallist who had carried Indian hockey on his broad shoulders.

Yet, despite his stature, the investigation into his killing threw up more questions than answers. Forty-two years later, the mystery remains: who killed Prithipal?

It is this question that sports journalist Sundeep Misra attempts to unravel in this book. Drawing on over a decade of painstaking research, he travels across India, Canada, and the US to piece together his story. He interviews contemporaries, lawyers, administrators, and witnesses, building a narrative that expands far beyond the hockey field.

The book gives an insight into Prithipal’s childhood traumas, particularly Partition, and the displacement that shaped him. Misra captures how these experiences forged both his strength and inner wounds.

Misra never met Prithipal. His fascination stemmed from the stories recounted by his father, who remembered the towering star and his tragic end. Research began in 2012 and Misra discovered the indifference with which the authorities had handled the case.

Despite a list of 16 suspected conspirators that Prithipal carried in his pocket on the day of his murder, the probe lost direction. The courts eventually acquitted all accused, citing weak witnesses and lack of evidence. “The killing is still a blind murder,” Misra concludes in frustration.

The book traces Prithipal’s evolution from a penalty-corner specialist and Olympic hero to an administrator at a university mired in factional politics. While he was a force to reckon with on the turf — Charanjit Singh, India’s 1964 Olympic captain, recalls how teams “feared his physicality” — his later years at PAU were consumed by bitter rivalries. Two murders had scarred the campus before Prithipal became a target.

Equally compelling is the author’s exploration of Prithipal’s complex relationship with Indian hockey. He was central to India’s greatest triumphs, including the 1964 Olympic gold and the 1975 World Cup victory in his role as chairman of selectors. That said, the 1968 Olympic bronze left a wound he never recovered from.

What elevates ‘Gunned Down’ is not just its recounting of events, but its probing of institutional failures. Misra sheds light on the “two captains” controversy, the politics of selection committees, and the manipulations within universities and courts.

His investigation is marked by persistence. He admits moments of despair when players refused to speak, the police evaded questions, and lawyers actively discouraged discussion, fearing the case might reopen. Yet he persisted, even sharing tea with the alleged killer.

Misra leaves readers with a lingering hope that one day, the case may be reopened and the truth shall emerge.