Media365
16-year-old national-level basketball player Hardik Rathi died in a freak accident at a sports complex in Haryana’s Rohtak on Tuesday after an iron basketball pole collapsed on him during practice. The victim, Hardik, had represented Haryana in multiple sub-junior and youth national championships.The incident took place at the Lakhan Majra village sports ground and was captured on CCTV. Other players rushed to lift the pole and move him to hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.As per a TOI report, the Lakhan Majra facility, which falls under the Gram Panchayat, had reportedly not undergone proper maintenance for nearly four years, raising concerns over the upkeep of rural and district-level sports infrastructure in Haryana.The teenager had a strong record at national events, winning medals at the Sub-Junior Nationals in Kangra and Hyderabad, and the Youth Nationals in Puducherry.The tragedy has intensified scrutiny over the state of sports infrastructure in Haryana, especially as it comes just two days after a similar case in Bahadurgarh, where a 15-year-old boy died when a basketball pole fell on him during practice.Following the Rohtak incident, Sports State Minister Gaurav Gautam suspended the District Sports Officer and temporarily shut the basketball court. A high-level review meeting has been scheduled for November 28 at Tau Devilal Stadium.Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra reacted sharply to the incident, posting an emotional message on X. “A child stepped onto a court with joy and energy… and he never returned home,” he wrote, calling it a pain no parent should endure. He urged authorities to treat the tragedy as a reminder of how much care must go into safeguarding sporting spaces, adding that every child “should feel safe when they step onto a playground, a field or a court.”
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said he will seek a full report on the matter.
