Bankura/ Jajpur, Nov 20: Two persons allegedly died by suicide in West Bengal's Bankura and Odisha's Jajpur after India lost to Australia in the cricket World Cup final, officials said.

Rahul Lohar, 23, took the extreme step near a cinema hall around 11 pm on Sunday in Beliatore police station area of Bankura, following India's six-wicket loss to Australia in Ahmedabad, they said.

Heartbroken by the result, he hung himself in his room, Lohar's brother-in-law Uttam Sur said, according to police.

His body was sent to the Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital on Monday morning for post-mortem examination, a police officer said, adding, a case of unnatural death was registered.

In Odisha's Jajpur, another 23-year-old man was found hanging from the terrace of his house at Binjharpur area shortly after the match on Sunday night, police said.

The deceased, Dev Ranjan Das, had been undergoing treatment for "emotional disorder syndrome", his uncle told the police.

After India lost the final, he left home in despair, the family member said.

"We have registered an unnatural death case, and are awaiting the autopsy report," said Indramani Juanga, Officer-in-Charge of Jari Outpost.

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New Delhi, Oct 24: The sports ministry on Thursday announced the discontinuation of the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement from this year onwards and the introduction of the Arjuna Award Lifetime in its place in a bid to "rationalise" the various sporting honours of the country.

Instituted in 2002, the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award, named after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand, is given to individuals in disciplines that are part of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, among others.

In 2023, the award was given to former shuttler Manjusha Kanwar, ex-hockey exponent Vineet Kumar and kabaddi player Kavitha Selvaraj.

"The various schemes for sports awards have been rationalised wherein Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced in place of Dhyan Chand Award. To recognise the efforts of coaches at grassroots/development level, they are now eligible for the Dronacharya Award," said a ministry statement.

"The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced and will be given for life time contribution to sports development.

"Further, to recognize the Khelo India scheme, the Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy will be given to the University for Overall Top Performance in Khelo India University Games," it added.

The last date for applying for the national sports awards for 2024 is November 14.