Arjuna Awardee and former Indian women’s kabaddi captain Ritu Negi finds herself at the centre of a bitter controversy. The former captain is unhappy that the Himachal Pradesh government excluded her from its enhanced cash award list for the state’s Asian Games gold medallists. Despite being part of the Indian squad that defended the women’s kabaddi title at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Negi’s name was missing from the final announcement of ₹1 crore rewards. The result has actually disappointed the veteran player.
Why did Himachal drop Kabaddi star Ritu Negi from the ₹1 crore Asian Games gold medallists reward list?
Negi, who hails from the Shillai region of Sirmaur district, has been a mainstay of Indian kabaddi for years. She is the only Indian woman to represent the country at three consecutive Asian Games. Not just this, she has been a key player in the squad that powered the side to win two gold medals and one silver. She captained India to gold in Hangzhou in 2023 and was again a key member of the gold-winning team in Japan this year under captain Pushpa Rana. Negi, who is employed by the Indian Railways, has consistently represented Himachal Pradesh in domestic competitions rather than Haryana, where she is married and lives in Panipat.
Despite this, her name was not listed in the awardee list, and it has caused a controversy. It comes after Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu initially recognised four Himachal players from the gold-medal squad. In late September, the state announced cash awards under its sports rules, with the four kabaddi medallists Pushpa Rana, Ritu Negi, Jyoti Thakur and Bhawna Thakur each set to receive around ₹33.33 lakh from a shared pool. After three of the players met the Chief Minister, the award for Pushpa Rana, Jyoti Thakur and Bhawna Thakur was raised to ₹1 crore each, with government jobs also offered.
In addition to this, a felicitation ceremony was also promised. What caught everyone’s attention was that Negi’s name was not included in the revised list announced around 5 October. Renuka Thakur, the Indian women’s cricket team pace bowler from the state, was also named for a ₹1 crore reward. Meanwhile, the Kabaddi player decided to speak on the matter to show her disappointment.
Negi described the decision as deeply insulting. She told the media:
“Until a week ago, I was a daughter of Himachal and the CM shared a congratulatory message on Facebook, while former CM Jairam Thakur and Member of Parliament Anurag Thakur had called to congratulate me.”
The Kabaddi player added:
“I simply cannot understand what changed so suddenly two days ago.”
Negi went on to question why an athlete who has brought medals to the country across three Asian Games was being treated this way at this stage of her career.
Why is Ritu Negi’s name not in the revised list?
Negi hails from the Shillai region of Sirmaur district, but she is married in Panipat, Haryana. Because she is married in another state, her name was removed from the revised list despite being an accomplished sportsperson from Himachal. The same government provided her a cash reward after India's women's kabaddi team won gold at the 2023 Asian Games when she led the side as the captain.
Negi's father raises question too
Negi’s father, Bhawan Singh Negi, has also raised a similar question. He pointed out that Ritu had received a cash award from the Himachal government after the 2023 Asian Games gold despite already being married in Haryana. He said during an interaction with the media:
“Has marriage ended the relationship? Is she no longer our daughter after giving 20 years to Himachal?”
Sports Minister to examine the case
A government source indicated that Negi would in any case receive a cash award from Haryana. Meanwhile, Sports Minister Yadvinder Goma said he would look into the matter. Negi herself acknowledged the likelihood of recognition from Haryana but stated that athletes have received awards from more than one state in the past. The lack of a clear official explanation for the sudden exclusion has fuelled speculation that her marital status or current address played a role in determining eligibility for the enhanced state reward.
Who is Ritu Negi?
Ritu Negi is an Indian kabaddi player from Himachal Pradesh and is married to Rohit Gulia, who is also a kabaddi player. She is an Arjuna Awardee from the President of India. She was honored with the award in January 2024.
Negi was a part of the Indian women’s kabaddi team that won the gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. She has also represented the country in three consecutive Asian Games, winning two gold medals and one silver.
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