Punjab Chief Minister shares condolences over tragic deaths of two national basketball players
Lakhan Majra (Rohtak), November 27, 2025:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann expressed grief over the untimely death of 16-year-old national basketball player Hardik Rathi, who died after a basketball pole collapsed during practice in his village playground in Haryana’s Rohtak district.
Terming the incident a national disgrace, the Chief Minister extended condolences to the bereaved family and highlighted the shock and anguish across the sports fraternity. He called on the Haryana government to take responsibility for the evident negligence and demanded government job and compensation for Hardik’s family.
Mann criticized Haryana’s poor sports infrastructure, noting that despite over 47 players from Lakhan Majra reaching national and international levels, the local government failed to maintain safe facilities. He also mourned the death of another young player, Aman Kumar (15), who died in a similar incident in Bahadurgarh, Haryana.
He urged the Union Sports Ministry to seek reports from all states on sports infrastructure safety to prevent such tragedies. Mann contrasted India’s preparations for the 2030 Commonwealth Games with the loss of young sports talents due to poor facilities and called for introspection on the nation’s readiness to host world-class events.
To promote sports culture in Punjab, Mann announced a Rs 1,194 crore project to construct over 3,100 state-of-the-art stadiums and highlighted the increase of the sports budget to Rs 1,000 crore. He cited the success of the “Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan” games over three years, engaging lakhs of athletes and preparing them for national and international competitions.