16-year-old national-level basketball player Hardik Rathi died in a freak accident at a sports complex in Haryana’s Rohtak on Tuesday after an iron basketball bar fell on him during practice. The victim, Hardik, represented Haryana in several sub-junior and youth national championships.The incident took place at a sports field in Lakhan Majra village and was caught on CCTV. Other players rushed to pick up the stick and take him to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.According to a TOI report, the Lakhan Majra facility, which comes under the Gram Panchayat, has reportedly not undergone proper maintenance for nearly four years, raising concerns about the maintenance of rural and district sports infrastructure in Haryana.The teenager had a strong record at national events, winning medals at the Sub-Junior Nationals in Kangra and Hyderabad and the Youth Nationals in Puducherry.The tragedy has intensified scrutiny of the state of sports infrastructure in Haryana, especially as it comes just two days after a similar incident in Bahadurgarh, where a 15-year-old boy died when a basketball stick fell on him during practice.Following the incident in Rohtak, state sports minister Gaurav Gautam suspended the district sports officer and temporarily closed the basketball court. A high-level review meeting is scheduled for November 28 at the Tau Devilal Stadium.Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra reacted strongly to the incident and posted an emotional message on X. “The child entered the court with joy and energy…and never came home,” he wrote, calling it a pain no parent should have to endure. He urged authorities to see the tragedy as a reminder of how much care needs to be taken to protect sports facilities, adding that every child “should feel safe when they step onto a pitch, field or court”.Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said he would demand a full report on the matter.
