Rohtak: Sports Officer Suspended After Basketball Player Hardik Rathi Dies in Practice Mishap

A 16-year-old national-level basketball player, Hardik Rathi, died in Haryana's Rohtak on Tuesday, November 25, after an iron basketball pole collapsed on him during a practice session. Taking cognisant of the case, state sports minister Gaurav Gautam has suspended the District Sports Officer, along with ordering an immediate suspension of the basketball nursery itself, according to the news agency IANS.

The Gautam has summoned senior officials and all district officers for a detailed review of the incident and called a high-level emergency meeting on the mishap on November 28 at Tau Devi Lal Stadium.

The mishap occurred at a local playground when Hardik was practising alone and attempted to hang from the basketball hoop. A CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social sites, showing the metal pole falling on Hardik when he hung onto it.

#Breaking@Haryana – National @player Hardik died after a basketball pole fell on him in Rohtak. Four years ago, Congress MP Deepender Hooda donated 11 lakh rupees, but the stadium remained unmaintained. Three months ago, locals even met with @ChiefMinisterNayabSaini pic.twitter.com/kfXvkTHQFG

— Mukund Shahi (@Mukundshahi73) November 26, 2025

In a viral video, Hardik was seen alone in a basketball court with a ball on the floor. Further in the video, he jumped and caught the hoop and the iron pole fell on his chest after collapsing to the ground. Nearby players present at the time of the accident rushed to his aid and lifted the iron pole, but Hardik later succumbed to his injuries.

Also Read | Rohtak: National Player Dies After Basketball Pole Fall; Disturbing CCTV Footage Surfaces.

In response to the tragic incident, the Haryana Olympic Association announced that all sports festivals and activities in the state will be suspended for the next three days as a mark of respect. The state sports minister has launched an investigation into the incident to find the condition of the equipment and safety measures at the playground.

As per the Times of India report, Hardik arrived at the basketball court at around 3.30 PM when a pole gave way and struck him. Aman was rushed to PGI Rohtak for treatment, but he succumbed to his serious injuries.

Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda condemned he incident and attacked the BJP-led Haryana government and said, saying nothing more sadder than this incident. He alleges that the BJP has stopped the sports budget in Haryana. "All the stadiums were built during Congress regime...This is not their indifference towards sports infrastructure but also their negligence," he told the news agency ANI.

"Three years ago, I released my MP Funds for work here. But they buried it in files because I am an Opposition MP...I am going to visit the family now. This government has shown bias; it does not want its children to get into sports," said Hooda.