Chandigarh, Dec. 17 -- Once celebrated as Punjab's pride and a symbol of rural strength, circle style kabaddi has turned into a bloody battleground in the state, its arena increasingly washed red by killings.

At least five kabaddi players and promoters have been killed in the past three years, exposing how the traditional sport has become deeply entangled with gang rivalries, money power and organised crime.

The latest killing - that of kabaddi promoter Kanwar Digvijay Singh, widely known as Rana Balachauria, who was shot dead during a live tournament in Mohali - has sent fresh shockwaves across Punjab. It was the third murder linked to kabaddi this year, underlining the alarming rise in violence around the sport.

There is no exact dat...