An Indian wrestler was banned for life after punching a referee during an intense heatwave in a sweltering New Delhi arena with no air conditioning.

Satender Malik was sweating it out in the 125kg (175 pounds) class during trials for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Tuesday when the referee ruled in his opponent’s favor.

Seething with anger and covered in sweat, Malik stormed across the mat, shouted expletives at referee Jagbir Singh and punched him in the face.

“Never before has such a thing happened,” Vinod Tomar, an official with the Wrestling Federation of India, told AFP.

“He not only hit the referee but also threatened to kill him.

“A police complaint has been made and we have banned him for life,” said Tomar, who confirmed that air-conditioning was not working causing temperatures to soar to 41C (106F).

Vishal Kalliraman, who also lost a close bout, punched holes in the dry walls of the wrestling hall in a fit of rage which caused police to be called.

Referee Singh said he was shocked by the sudden assault.

“I feel deeply hurt that he hurled abuses at me and hit me in front of everyone for just doing my duty,” Singh was quoted as saying by the Indian Express daily.

An intense heatwave is sweeping through northern India and Pakistan, with temperatures in parts of the capital Delhi reaching 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday.

While heatwaves are common in May and June across India, summer arrived early this year with the hottest March on record.