The Abu Dhabi cricket stadium’s Indian chief curator, Mohan Singh, was found dead in his room on Sunday hours before the T20 World Cup game between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. According to UAE Cricket sources, the 45-year-old, who hailed from Uttarakhand, was suffering from depression and was found hanging in his room, hours after inspecting the pitch for the clash that New Zealand won by eight wickets to enter the semifinals. Both Abu Dhabi Cricket and the International Cricket Council paid tributes to him but did not reveal the cause of death. He is survived by his wife and daughter who will be reaching Abu Dhabi soon.
Sources in UAE cricket said Mohan was found hanging in his room. “Mohan Singh today came to the ground in the morning and inspected the ground and playing turf.
“He spoke to us about arrangements and went back. When he didn’t arrive at the venue people went to his room and he was found hanging from his ceiling. He died by suicide,” a senior official associated with tournament organisers told PTI.
“We have come to know that he was very depressed for the past four months. The reason for it is not known and we don’t know if he was undergoing any counselling.
“Whether it is a death by suicide can only be ascertained once the local police authorities complete their investigations,” the source said.
Mohan worked extensively with former BCCI chief curator Daljit Singh in Mohali before moving to the UAE in the early 2000s.
Daljit, who served Indian cricket for 22 years, was shocked after learning about Mohan’s demise.
“He was a bright kid when he came to me. A very talented and hardworking person. He hailed from Garhwal and also remember him as a family man.
“After he went to the UAE, he used to come visit every time he was in the country but I had not seen him for a while. Gone too soon and it is really tragic,” Daljit said.
