Young cricketer dies of heart attack on field

BHOPAL

: In a rare and unfortunate incident on the sporting field, a cricketer playing a railways department match in the city suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away on Saturday.


Railways cricketer Arvind Hanotiya was representing Diesel Shield XI, Itarsi against Electrical XI in the inter-railway DRM trophy at the Railways ground on Saturday. Astonishingly, after he suffered the cardiac arrest he was taken to the railway hospital around 3km away on a bike. Moreover, the officials at Bhopal DRM were clueless regarding the player’s death.

Railway hospital doctors said that 35-year-old Arvind Hanotiya died during treatment. The Itarsi native suffered a cardiac arrest when he was coming out from the field after end of play.

Team manager Manoj Raikwar said Hanotiya had informed him that he was not feeling well. “As the match was over we all were relaxing in the dug-out. He came to me and said he was not feeling well. I asked him to consult the doctor at the ground,” said Raikwar. However, Hanotiya kept complaining about the pain, he added.

Owing to lack of facilities at the Railways ground, which is near Bhopal railway station platform number one, Hanotiya was taken to the railway hospital on a bike.

“I took him on the bike. I did not now that he was having such acute problem,” said team manager Raikwar.

Hanotiya was then immediately admitted to the emergency unit. “He had witnessed the cardiac arrest on ground. He came here in acute pain in his chest. However, he died during treatment,” said railway hospital doctors.

One of the players said that Hanotiya’s situation was not taken seriously and put the blame on lack of facilities at the ground. “When you take a patient who has just suffered a cardiac arrest on bike, one can understand the situation with facilities,” said the player who did not wish to be named. Railway division Bhopal organises DRM cricket trophy tournament annually wherein railway teams from across the state participate. Railway officials on the other hand, did not offer any information over the incident. Organiser Rajesh Tiwari did not even speak about the issue and simply gave the number of the team manager when pressed further.

Even DRM Bhopal PRO IA Siddique was clueless about the issue. “I have no idea about his death. I am in New Delhi to attend an official seminar,” said Siddique.