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Tragedy struck the basketball community in Rohtak, Haryana, over the past two days, as two teenage players from the area died in separate accidents after court poles collapsed on them during practice sessions.
Training pole collapse kills two Haryana hoopsters
In the first incident on Tuesday, November 25, 15-year-old Hardik was practicing at the Lakhan Majra sports complex around 10 a.m. CCTV footage showed that as he leaped toward the hoop and attempted to hang from it, the basketball pole suddenly gave way, landing on his chest. His friends rushed him to a nearby hospital, but he was declared brought dead. Hardik had recently been shortlisted for the Under-15 national basketball championship.
A similar accident claimed the life of another player, Aman, who suffered injuries on November 23 when a basketball pole collapsed on him during a practice session inside a school in Bahadurgarh. He tragically succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment a day later.
Hardik's cousin, Khadak Singh, recounted the tragic haste of the accident, noting that despite rushing Hardik to a hospital within 20 minutes, the young player could not be saved. Expressing profound anger, Singh asserted, "This is not a death but a murder." He explained that the tragedy was rooted in bureaucratic failure, revealing that ₹11 lakh had been sanctioned two years ago from the Member of Parliament quota for sports infrastructure. Despite a tender being issued two months ago, no repair work was carried out, even after repeated reminders were sent to the department.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Haryana Sports Department officially described the incidents as serious and unfortunate, acknowledging that the deaths of two promising athletes were directly caused by dilapidated equipment. In a communication issued on Wednesday, the Director General instructed that if any sports complexes contain dilapidated infrastructure, the use of the same should be stopped for the sportspersons.
“If there are dilapidated sports infrastructure at the sports complexes, the use of the same should be stopped for the sportspersons. These instruments should be immediately repaired with the funds available with the District Sports Council,” Director General of Haryana Sports Department's official statement read, as quoted by Indian Express.
Strict action taken after tragic deaths of Haryana basketball players
However, Haryana Sports Department has taken immediate action following the tragic deaths of two teenagers in separate pole-collapse incidents at government sports facilities within a 48-hour period. In response to the back-to-back fatalities—first in Bahadurgarh and then in Rohtak—the department suspended Rohtak’s District Sports Officer and temporarily shut down the district’s basketball nursery. These measures have triggered a statewide safety review.
State Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam took strict cognizance of the accidents, labeling the Rohtak incident as the second tragedy caused by dilapidated equipment. He has since convened a high-level meeting scheduled for November 28 at Tau Devi Lal Stadium, summoning senior departmental officials and all district sports officers to address the crisis. Furthermore, the department issued an urgent circular, terming the two deaths serious and unfortunate and directing all district sports officers to personally inspect every stadium and training facility under their jurisdiction.
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