Last Updated:
Two teen basketball players, Aman Kumar and Hardik Rathi, died in separate incidents in Haryana after rusted basketball poles collapsed on them during practice.
Basketball player Aman Kumar (File photo)
Fifteen-year-old Aman Kumar, who succumbed to injuries sustained during basketball practice in Bahadurgarh, Haryana, on November 24, had last asked his father to take him in his lap, mentioning that his pain was unbearable, The Times Of India reported.
Tragically, just a day later, on November 25, 16-year-old Hardik Rathi also lost his life in an eerily similar accident in Rohtak, when a rusted basketball pole collapsed on him.
The twin tragedies have cast a spotlight on the neglected sports infrastructure in the state.
Aman, a Class 10 student, was critically injured at Brigadier Hoshiar Singh Stadium when a 20-year-old corroded basketball pole fell on him. He died within 24 hours.
According to TOI, his mother, Kanta Devi, remembered her son’s last birthday, on which he had told his mother, “Mummy, vishwas rakhna, I will make you proud.”
As his father too remembered him, he was quoted as saying that Aman’s last words were, “Papa, take me in your lap, my pain is unbearable”.
Meanwhile, in Lakhan Majra, Rohtak, Hardik Rathi, a national-level player, had returned home from ITM Global School in Gwalior on November 21 to care for his unwell mother.
Hardik had been training locally for the Under-17 Nationals. During a dunk practice drill, he gripped the net, lost balance, and fell backwards, causing the rusted pole to collapse on him.
He died due to internal injuries.
Hardik’s medals remain neatly arranged on his shelf, a silent testament to his talent. Just a day before the accident, he had told his father he would “play for India in 2026″, the report stated.
Family members and local players alleged that warnings about the dilapidated poles had been repeatedly ignored, leaving communities questioning the safety of sporting facilities.
Hardik and Aman were both promising basketball talents.
While Hardik had previously competed in multiple national championships, 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, Aman had recently won a silver and two gold medals in school games.
CCTV footage showed Hardik attempting to hang from the hoop when the rusted pole suddenly collapsed.
Local players told news agency PTI that the pole’s poor condition had been reported multiple times, but no action was taken.
In Aman’s case, Jhajjar District Sports Officer Satender Kumar said the pole was already weakened and had been climbed by children shortly before it fell.
Suresh Kumar, Aman’s father, alleged that delays at the hospital cost critical time, treatment was not administered immediately, and the admission time recorded was three hours later than when they had arrived.
Meanwhile, political leaders have reacted strongly. Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Randeep Singh Surjewala described the deaths as a result of “sheer government negligence,” demanding FIRs and a high-level probe.
Haryana’s Minister of State for Sports, Gaurav Gautam, said the district sports officer has been suspended and that inspections of sports infrastructure would follow.
ALSO READ | ‘Aman’s Life Could’ve Been Saved’: Haryana Basketball Player’s Father Alleges Medical Negligence
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
November 27, 2025, 13:14 IST
Read More
