Former Asian champion Praveen Kumar Sobti passes away at 74

Praveen Kumar Sobti has died at the age of 74, this Monday evening. He was most popularly known for playing the role of ‘BHEEM’ in the TV show called Mahabharat. He was a fan favourite of the show and made a lot of name through it nationally. However, his legacy and fame go way beyond just acting. Praveen Kumar Sobti was also a national-level athlete who participated in many sporting events and was also once a soldier in the Border Security Forces of India (BSF). The BSF have also shared a post on their social media in order to honour all the things that Praveen Kumar Sobti had achieved in life.

Their Instagram post read “Director General and All Ranks of BSF condole the untimely demise of Sh Praveen Kumar Sobti, former Deputy Commandant, Arjuna Awardee, two-time Olympian (1968 Mexico Games and 1972 Munich Games) and four-time Asian Games medalist (2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze),”

Praveen Kumar Sobti died of a heart attack. A family member also told that “He had a chronic chest infection problem. At night, when he started feeling uneasy, we called the doctor at home. He passed away between 10-10.30 pm following a cardiac arrest,” When Praveen Kumar joined the BSF at just 20 years of age, it was at that time that the officers got to know about his athletic ability and he started taking interest and participation in sports.

The Athletic Federation of India (AFI) on Tuesday expressed “deep shock” at his death and took to their Twitter account to express their emotions. They said “AFI family is in deep shock on the passing away of Olympian and Asian Games medalist Shri Praveen Kumar Sobti ji,74, today,”

Mr. Sobti has been survived by his wife, daughter, two younger brothers, and a sister.