16-year-old basketball player dies after pole falls on him

CHANDIGARH: A 16-year-old basketball player died after the basketball pole fell on his chest during a practice session in Rohtak. He has been identified as Hardik. The incident happened on Tuesday in the court in Lakhan Majra. The pole fell on his chest while he was practicing in the court. His friends rushed to help him but his life could not be saved.

The chilling CCTV visuals had emerged yesterday. He came to the court alone for practice. The pole uprooted and fell on him, its full weight on his chest when he clutched the basket’s rim.

His neighbour said that he had been selected for the national team and had recently returned from a training camp. His father Sandeep Rathi had enrolled Hardik and his younger brother at a sports club near their home to practice.

Hardik’s body was handed over to his relatives after the postmortem. The police have registered a case in the incident.

A similar incident was reported from Haryana’s Bahadurgah recently. Aman, a tenth-class student had died after a basketball post fell on his body. The boy died while undergoing treatment at Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS). His relatives had alleged medical negligence.