Arabic version: متهم بملاحقة لاعبة شطرنج في ملبورن يواصل إضرابه عن الطعام في السجن

According to ABC News, Shumsheer Singh Ghumman, 47, has vowed to continue a prison hunger strike until he suffers significant health issues. Ghumman began refusing food on Thursday after alleging he was assaulted by two inmates while on remand in Melbourne’s west.

His lawyer, Michael Pena Rees, told the Melbourne Magistrates Court that Ghumman has type-2 diabetes and had refused food after the alleged incident was reported and nothing was done. The lawyer said Ghumman had been placed in solitary confinement and was allowed out for one hour a day in handcuffs.

Appearing by video link, Ghumman told the court that prison authorities were not following their hunger-strike policy. His lawyer also raised concerns about access to clean clothes and contact with other people, particularly Ghumman’s father.

Ghumman entered not guilty pleas to 35 charges, including stalking, intimidation, attempting to pervert the course of justice and possessing a pair of nunchucks. He denies stalking a female professional chess player in her 20s over two years, including after she obtained an intervention order in March 2025.

Police allege Ghumman contacted officials in Qatar and the Icelandic Chess Federation, resulting in the woman being briefly detained while travelling overseas. He was arrested at his Burnley cafe on May 1, and the Victorian Supreme Court rejected his bail bid on September 23. He is due to appear before the Victorian County Court for a mention on November 10.