A 16-year-old national-level basketball player died in Haryana’s Rohtak on Tuesday after an iron pole of a basketball hoop fell on him during practice. After the incident, the player was taken to the hospital in critical condition but died during treatment.
The incident occurred around 10 am at the sports ground in Lakhan Majra village, where the player was practising alone on the basketball court. The accident was captured on CCTV.
The footage shows the player taking a lap and reaching for the hoop, appearing to practice a dunk. As he hangs from the pole, the iron structure collapses and the rim of the basketball hoop strikes him in the chest.
Shortly afterward, other players, presumably his teammates, can be seen rushing to help him. The footage shows the player struggling to get up while the others lift the fallen pole off him.
The 16-year-old victim had won medals in several national-level basketball competitions, including the 47th Sub-Junior National Championship in Kangra, the 49th Sub-Junior National Championship in Hyderabad and the 39th Youth National Championship in Puducherry.
The incident has raised concerns over the condition of sports infrastructure in Haryana after a similar case was reported in Bahadurgarh two days earlier.
Sports State Minister Gaurav Gautam has taken strict action following an accident at a basketball nursery. The District Sports Officer has been suspended and the basketball court itself has been temporarily closed.
The minister has also called a high-level meeting at Tau Devilal Stadium on November 28, summoning all senior and district officials to discuss the matter.
In a similar incident occurred in Haryana’s Bahadurgarh two days ago at Hoshiar Singh Sports Stadium. A 15-year-old was injured when a basketball pole fell on him while he was practising around 3.30 pm. He was also admitted to PGI Rohtak and died during treatment.
