Alleged Stalker of Chess Pro Begins Hunger Strike in Prison

A 47-year-old man alleged to have stalked a young female chess professional has begun a hunger strike in prison, vowing to continue until he suffers significant health issues.

Shumsheer Singh Ghumman, a cafe owner, denies stalking the woman for two years, including after she obtained a restraining order. He began his prison hunger strike on Thursday after alleging he was assaulted by two inmates while on remand in Melbourne's west.

Claims of Assault and Prison Conditions

Ghumman's lawyer, Michael Pena Rees, told the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday that his client has type-2 diabetes but has refused food after the incident was "reported and nothing was done".

"He's communicated his intention to complete the hunger strike until significant medical issues occur with him,"

the lawyer said.

Ghumman had been put into solitary confinement and only let out for one hour a day in handcuffs, Mr Pena Rees said.

"The prison is not complying with their own policy on hunger strikes,"

Ghumman, appearing via video link from prison, told the court.

"I'm left in a cell. There's a policy in place that they're not adhering to."

Allegations of Stalking

Police allege Ghumman's actions twice coincided with the woman being detained briefly while travelling overseas. They also allege he emailed officials in Qatar about the woman, leading to her detention when she arrived at Doha International Airport.

Ghumman allegedly stalked the professional chess player, aged in her 20s, between April 2024 and May 2026. The woman obtained an intervention order against Ghumman in March 2025 but he allegedly continued to stalk her.

The accused stalker also allegedly threatened to use artificial intelligence to surveil the woman and scrape her data from the dark web. Ghumman was arrested at his Burnley cafe in Melbourne's east on May 1.

Charges and Court Proceedings

Ghumman has entered not guilty pleas to each of his 35 charges, which include stalking, intimidation, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and possessing a pair of nunchucks. He will appear before the Victorian County Court for a mention on November 10.