A national-level basketball player passed away on Tuesday after the after the iron pole of a basketball hoop fell on his chest. The freak accident took place while the 16-year-old was practicing at a sports complex in Rohtak — with teammates rushing Hardik Rathi to the hospital. The Haryana government later called a high-level review meeting and suspended the District Sports Officer amid widespread outrage.
CCTV footage showed the teenage reaching for the hoop while practicing on his own at the grounds Lakhan Majra village. But the pole had collapsed as soon as he attempted to hang from it — crushing him under its weight. Other players sitting on the court side in the sports complex at Lakhan Majra village had rushed the Rathi to the hospital. Local SHO Samarjeet Singh said the player had succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Investigation launched, official suspended
Officials have since launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the pole collapse — including the overall condition of the equipment. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also told reporters on Wednesday that efforts were underway to gather all details pertaining to the matter.
According to a News18 report, the state government has since initiated strong action against the relevant authorities and suspended the district sports officer. Operations have also been halted at the sports complex and a high-level review meeting scheduled with all senior officials on Friday.
“This is a very sad incident. Our department has suffered a personal loss… Whoever is found guilty will be prosecuted. The people running the sports nursery did not care that the grounds were in a bad condition… The government stands with the family in this hour of grief,” said Haryana Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam.
Congress vs BJP
The incident has also taken on political undertones with Opposition leaders lashing out at the Saini-led government. Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda tagged the incident as “criminal negligence” and claimed that the BJP administration had failed to upgrade sporting equipment at various stadiums over the past 11 years.
“There cannot be an incident sadder than this…He lost his life because in the last 11 years, the BJP Govt in Haryana stopped the budget for all sports stadiums. All the stadiums were built during Congress regime…This is not their indifference towards sports infrastructure but also their negligence. This is criminal negligence. Three years ago, I released my MP Funds for work here. But they buried it in files because I am an Opposition MP…I am going to visit the family now. This government has shown bias; it does not want its children to get into sports,” he told ANI.