Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Nov 26: In a heartbreaking sequence of events, two teenage basketball players in Haryana have died in separate accidents involving unstable basketball poles, raising serious concerns about the state’s sports infrastructure.

In Rohtak’s Lakhan Majra, 16-year-old Hardik Rathi, a national-level basketball player, lost his life after a basketball pole toppled onto his chest during practice. CCTV footage revealed Hardik performing a standard three-point line drill when the pole, apparently not firmly anchored, uprooted as he grabbed the rim, crushing him. Friends rushed to lift the pole and tried to save him, but the young athlete succumbed to his injuries. Hardik had recently been selected for the national team and had returned from a training camp. His father, Sandeep Rathi, had enrolled him and his younger brother at a nearby sports club to hone their skills. Police recovered the body and handed it to the family after completing post-mortem formalities, with a case registered.

Shockingly, a similar tragedy occurred in Bahadurgarh district, where 15-year-old Aman was practicing at a local stadium when a basketball pole fell on him, causing fatal internal injuries. Aman, a Class 10 student and recent medalist in his school’s sports meet, died at Rohtak’s Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) late Monday. His family has alleged lapses in medical care at the hospital.

The back-to-back deaths of these promising young athletes have prompted renewed scrutiny over the safety and maintenance of public sports facilities in Haryana, a state known for producing some of India’s top sporting talent. Authorities have yet to announce steps to prevent such tragedies in the future.