After young basketball player’s death, family points to administrative negligence in Haryana’s Rohtak | VIDEO

Rohtak: In the death of the 16-year-old national-level basketball player Hardik Rathi from Haryana, his grandfather, Gulab Singh, came forward and stated, "... A grant was received in 2023, for the repair work... But they kept on delaying the repair work... He played nationally four times... He made a lot of effort. He was a dedicated player... The pole was damaged at a few centimetres below ground level. It was not visible. The rust was not visible because of the paint... A grant of Rs 11 lakhs was received, but no work was undertaken."

"The administration is responsible for the incident... We cannot say, but the government knows against whom action needs to be taken... The administration is responsible...," he added.

CCTV footage shows Hardik jumping and grasping the rim during practice when the rusted iron pole collapsed, striking him in the chest. Despite efforts to lift the pole and assist him, Hardik suffered fatal injuries due to internal bleeding caused by the impact. The incident exposed severe negligence and delayed maintenance in the sports infrastructure, despite a grant of ₹11-18 lakhs having been allocated in 2023 for repair work at the stadium where the accident happened. Sports officials admitted the poles were old and should have been replaced. The District Sports Officer of Rohtak has been suspended, and a high-level inquiry committee, including the basketball coach and stadium in-charge, has been formed to investigate the infrastructure failures. The Haryana government has faced criticism for apathy and corruption affecting the upkeep of sports facilities, with calls for urgent repairs and accountability.

This accident is the second in the region within days, as another teenager also died after a pole collapsed at a nearby stadium, intensifying public outrage and prompting state officials to order inspections of sports courts across Haryana. The Haryana Chief Minister and Sports Minister have promised investigations and improvements following the tragedies.