On Wednesday, a Kabaddi player named Samaru Kerketta died after he was injured during a Kabaddi match a month back in the ongoing Chhattisgarhiya Olympics. The athlete was admitted to a hospital and was undergoing medical treatment after he suffered the injury on October 17. Kerketta is the third Kabaddi player who has lost his life to injuries suffered during the Chhattisgarhiya Olympics.
According to the reports, the player left behind his wife and a young child who waited for weeks hoping that Kerketta may gain consciousness. However, after over 4 weeks of struggle, the player lost the battle on November 16. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel expressed grief over the incident and declared monetary compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the family members of the deceased.
Chhattisgarhiya Olympics is being conducted in the state to revive 14 traditional sports. The games are being conducted between different age groups at Panchayat, block, district, and state levels. The event which is slated to continue till January 6, 2023, was inaugurated by CM Baghel on October 6 this year.
Kerketta, 28, was from Ghumra village in the Farsabahar area, some 60 kilometers from Jashpur district headquarters and 400 kilometers from Raipur. On October 17, he was injured while playing in a tournament in nearby Sundru village. With the assistance of the district administration, he was transferred to a local community health center and subsequently admitted to a private hospital in Raigarh (170 kilometers from Sundru).
Kerketta’s health was assessed as critical upon admission by hospital officials. He was being treated through the Ayushman scheme. The family waited for him to regain consciousness, but his condition deteriorated and he died on Wednesday. Jashpur collector Ravi Mittal expressed condolences to the family members of the deceased and assured all the required support.
Multiple deaths during the Chhattisgarhiya Olympics
This is the third death at the ongoing Chhattisgarhiya Olympics, all of them being kabaddi players. Thandaram Malakar, 35, was injured on October 12 during a match in Raigarh after being pulled and thrown onto the ground. He died on the way to the hospital since terrible roads made the 40-kilometer journey a four-hour struggle. Shanti Mandavi, 30, of Kondagaon district, died three days later from an injury inflicted during a match.
The fatalities in kabaddi have sparked a political uproar in the state. Following the first two fatalities, BJP leader O P Choudhary said there are no medical facilities at the venues where sporting events are being held. Faced with criticism over athletes’ deaths, the state government started asking participants to sign a consent form before participating. While BJP criticized the action, Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla stated that signing the consent form was normal procedure for any sporting tournament and that there was nothing wrong with it.
