Three men have been found guilty for their roles in a major violent disturbance at a Midlands Kabaddi tournament, an outbreak of chaos that police say directly ignited the plot to murder a young DPD delivery driver.
Court Convicts Trio After Trial
Following a trial at Derby Crown Court in November, a jury convicted three individuals for their involvement in the large-scale brawl. The violence erupted between two groups at the sporting event in Alvaston, Derby, on Sunday, August 20, 2023, just before 4pm.
Boota Singh, 35, of Witham Drive, Derby, was convicted of violent disorder. He admitted possession of an offensive weapon at the start of the proceedings. Police stopped him two days after the event and discovered two machetes in the boot of his car.
Damanjit Singh, 35, of Powell Place, Tipton, was convicted in his absence of violent disorder and possession of a bladed article. Rajvinder (Raj) Takhar Singh, 42, of Patterdale Drive, Huddersfield, was convicted of violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. All three are scheduled for sentencing on December 19.
Scene of Chaos: Machetes and Gunshots
Officers were called to the scene off Elvaston Lane following reports of gunshots and individuals fighting with machetes. Video evidence played in court captured Boota Singh running with others after a rival group. Damanjit Singh and Raj Takhar Singh were also seen armed with large knives during the incident, which left multiple people injured.
Detective Inspector Chris Barker, the senior investigating officer, condemned the actions. "These men deliberately armed themselves with weapons at this event, which should have been a fun family friendly sporting tournament," he said. "Their actions... meant that it instead turned into a huge violent disorder which left multiple people injured and many people fearing for their safety."
Detective Constable Stevie Barker, who led the investigation, highlighted the premeditated nature of the violence. "Investigations have shown a clear level of pre-planning by those involved and the sheer fact they were all armed showed their obvious intentions to cause trouble and inflict significant injuries to other people," he stated.
Link to Fatal Revenge Attack
The disorder at the Kabaddi tournament is cited as the catalyst for a separate, deadly revenge attack. The day after the brawl, 23-year-old Aurman Singh from Smethwick, a DPD delivery driver, was ambushed by a masked, armed mob in Shrewsbury while on his rounds.
Aurman attempted to flee but was brutally attacked and killed with an array of weapons. To date, six men have been jailed for life for his murder, with a seventh imprisoned for manslaughter following trials in April 2024 and April 2025. Two other men remain wanted by police in connection with his death.
This latest conviction brings the total number of men jailed for the Kabaddi tournament violence to ten, following a previous trial in 2024 where seven others were sentenced. Two further men were acquitted by a jury this year.
