CHANDIGARH: A national-level basketball player died in a freak incident on a court in Haryana's Rohtak after the iron pole of a basketball hoop fell on his chest during practice, police said on Wednesday.
The tragic incident on Tuesday, which was captured on CCTV camera, claimed the life of 16-year-old Hardik Rathi, who had participated in the sub-junior national championship, they said.
The incident occured when Hardik, who was practising alone, attempted to hang from the basketball hoop, a report said.
Those who were nearby rushed to his aid, but Hardik succumbed to his injuries.
Officials said the circumstances leading to the collapse of the iron pole, including the condition of the equipment, are being probed.
Asked for his comment on the incident, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini told reporters on Wednesday that he will first gather all the details pertaining to the matter.
The CCTV footage showed the 16-year-old reaching for the hoop, and as soon as he attempted to hang from it, the pole collapsed and crushed him under it.
Other players sitting on the court side in the sports complex at Lakhan Majra village rushed Hardik to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, local SHO Samarjeet Singh said.
Khadak Singh, Hardik's elder brother, said the condition of the iron pole had been brought to the notice of the officials on multiple occasions but nothing was done to fix it.
Holding the sports department and the government responsible for his brother's death, Khadak Singh told reporters that his brother never missed any competition, be it U-14 or U-17.
It was his dream to lead the Indian basketball team one day.
"Hardik trained twice a day. As soon as he tried to touch the hoop on Tuesday morning, it got uprooted and fell on his chest, leading to internal bleeding, which proved fatal," he said.
Haryana's Minister of State for Sports Gaurav Gautam told reporters in Ambala that a high-level probe will be held and anyone found responsible for the sad and unfortunate incident will face action.
"We have suspended the district sports officer," he said when asked about Hardik's death.
"As per information, it was a sports nursery under the panchayat," Gautam said.
On November 24, a 15-year-old national-level basketball player died when a pole collapsed on him at a stadium in Bahadurgarh, Haryana.
On Sunday, Aman went to a basketball court in the premises of a government school for practice.
He was critically injured after an iron pole fell on him and died at PGIMS Rohtak during treatment on Monday night, SHO (City) Dinkar Yadav said.
(With inputs from Online Desk)