Kerala Athlete Suicide Pact: SAI centre temporarily closed; girls not out of danger

Police at the SAI centre in Alappuzha on Thursday.(Source: PTI)

The condition of the three Sports Authority of India trainees, who had consumed a poisonous fruit, has improved slightly. But, it would require another day to state if they are out of danger or not, doctors at the medical college in Alappuzha said.

A day after four athletes attempted suicide at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Alappuzha, which claimed a rower’s life, the body’s director general Injeti Srinivas said the operations at the Water Sports Centre have been suspended for at least a week.

A fourth trainee, Aparna Ramabadhran, had died on Thursday after consuming the fruit — cerbera odollum (othalanga) — in a suicide pact with three others. Police said that they had recovered a note signed by the athletes, which stated that they had been ‘scolded’ by seniors for a ‘silly fault.’

Medical college superintendent Dr Santhosh Raghavan said the toxin from the fruit gets deposited in fatty tissues in the body but can remain untraced and hence there is a possibility of it affecting the cardiac function, even after a period during which the patient seems to be improving.

Srinivas visited the family of the deceased athlete Aparna and paid a compensation of Rs 5 lakh.

Besides, her mother Geetha would be given a job at SAI’s Alappuzha centre.

Geetha alleged that her daughter had several bitter experiences, which involved senior athletes at the centre. She had also mentioned two seniors in particular. “Recently, the authorities put her in the room of a senior athlete, who had a history of harassing her,’’ Geetha said.

A rower, Aparna had completed three years at the SAI’s water sports training centre. “She was hoping to get a job at the earliest through sports quota and was hoping to quit the training centre,” Geetha added.

All the four trainee-athletes hailed from economically-backward families. Aparna’s father is a cook in a houseboat, while her mother worked in an anganwadi as a helper. The parents of Sabitha Santhosh, who had bagged gold and silver respectively in canoeing at national-level competitions, worked on a farm. Her uncle Gopi Das said she had told the family that seniors held a professional grudge against them because they had participated in national events.

Treesa Jacob, who had won gold in kayaking in the recent National Games, has only her mother. Relative Merikutty said that Treesa had lost her father several years back. Her mother has to take care of her in-laws, a son and the girl, who is battling for life.

SAI to rush in counsellors to training centres: Injeti

MUMBAI: The SAI has decided to employ counsellors on a part-time basis at its various centres across the country to ensure athletes get the right guidance. SAI DG Srinivas, who was directed to travel to Kerala by sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday, said the 65 trainees, coaches and the staff were not in the ‘correct psychological state’ to continue training. It is likely that the facility will be completely operational only after the police investigation concludes. “At the moment, none of the athletes are in condition to train. Neither is the staff in a position to take charge. So we have given everyone leave. When we feel the time is right, things shall resume,” Srinivas said.

Sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that they have constituted a medical board to look into the incident while Srinivas said counsellors will be rushed to the spot to deal with the other athletes at the centre.

“Some of them have asked for leave and have gone home. Many are still at the campus and are severely affected. We have called for counsellors, who will stay with them and provide proper guidance,” Srinivas said.

“We will appoint them (counsellors) on a part-time basis. The general observation is that there is no outlet where an athlete can open up freely. Most of them are young and need proper guidance. Having a counsellor can be useful,” he said.

The seniors who allegedly harassed the girls have claimed innocence and Srinivas said no action will be taken against them or the warden until the investigation concludes. “The athletes here have pleaded to me not to take action against the warden. So there is no point taking a rash decision,” he said.