A promising 16-year-old national-level basketball player, Hitesh Rathi, tragically lost his life in Rohtak on Tuesday after an iron basketball pole collapsed on him during a solo practice session. The devastating incident has sent shockwaves through the sporting community and raised serious questions about the safety of public sports infrastructure.
A Fatal Practice Session
The accident occurred at a local playground where Hitesh was practicing alone. CCTV footage from the scene captured the moment the teenager attempted to hang from the basketball hoop. The metal pole, which appeared to be unstable, suddenly buckled and fell directly onto his chest, pinning him to the ground briefly before he collapsed. Other players training nearby immediately rushed to his aid, lifting the heavy structure off him and providing initial assistance. Despite their efforts, Hitesh succumbed to his injuries.
State-Wide Mourning and a Second Tragedy
In response to this profound tragedy, the Haryana Olympic Association announced the suspension of all sports festivals and events across the state for the next three days as a mark of respect for the young athlete. Authorities have launched a full-scale investigation into the circumstances that led to the collapse, focusing on the condition of the equipment and the overall safety measures at the playground.
This incident marks the second such tragedy to strike Haryana's sporting community in a matter of days. Just two days before Hitesh's death, a 15-year-old boy named Aman suffered a fatal accident at the Hoshiar Singh Stadium in Bahadurgarh. In a chillingly similar event, Aman had arrived for practice around 3:30 pm when a basketball pole gave way and struck him. He was rushed to PGI Rohtak for treatment but could not be saved.
A Call for Urgent Safety Overhauls
The back-to-back fatalities of two young, aspiring athletes have ignited a fierce debate about the maintenance and safety protocols at public sports facilities in India. These incidents highlight a critical failure in ensuring that playgrounds, which are meant to nurture talent, are safe environments. The investigations launched by the authorities are now under immense pressure to not only determine the cause of these specific collapses but also to recommend stringent measures to prevent such heartbreaking losses in the future. The entire state, and the nation's sporting fraternity, mourns the loss of a potential star whose life was cut short in a preventable accident.
