Teen sprinter commits suicide at Nehru Stadium, SAI orders inquiry

New Delhi, November 14

Palinder Chaudhary, an 18-year-old athlete who had represented India at the international level, committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here, prompting the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to order a “departmental inquiry”. Hailing from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, the athlete was brain dead by the time he was rushed to the Safdarjung Hospital, and could not be revived.

“We have ordered a departmental inquiry as the incident happened in our premises. The inquiry will be headed by Secretary SAI Swarn Singh Chabra and it should be completed within a week,” said SAI Director General Neelam Kapur.

Chaudhary always dreamt of representing India at the Olympics and had even got the Olympics symbol tattooed on his right hand, said his mentor-cum-friend Ajeet Rawat. “He had set his sights on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and was preparing for it. He would say if he missed out on a 2020 berth, he would try for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” said Rawat.

Mahesh Pal, the father of the deceased, said he did not know what went wrong and why his son took such an extreme step. “I had spoken to him on Tuesday at around 3pm. He wanted me to send him some money. I was out for a few days. I had assured him that I would send him the money. He spoke very normally. Everything seemed fine. I don't know what went wrong and under what circumstances he took this step,” Pal said.

Apparently, he took the extreme step after an argument with his father over monetary issues, Neelam Kapur said. “It seems a family matter related to monetary issues. The boy had an argument with his father in the morning on the phone, following which his sister came to meet him in the evening. He took the step in front of his sister, and she came out screaming,” said Kapur.

In 2017, Chaudhary was selected for the Asian Youth Championship in Bangkok, where he won a gold medal in relay. He also participated at the World Youth Championship last July. “He was alive when he was taken to Safdarjung but was brain dead and doctors couldn't revive him,” another SAI official said. “His roommate, trainees and staff were shocked by the incident as Chaudhary showed no signs of depression while training during the day.” — PTI