Malayali athlete’s death: Kerala HC issues contempt notice to national cycle federation, others

Two associations, the Kerala Cycle Polo Association and Cycle Polo Association of Kerala were locked in a dispute over representing the state at the National Cycling Championship 2022-2023.

The dispute reached the high court, which issued an interim order favouring the Kerala Cycle Polo Association on 15 December.

Fathima Nida was part of the contingent under the Kerala Cycle Polo Association that went to Nagpur. The organisers, however, arranged food for the rival association, forcing the athletes to eat out, which led to food poisoning.

The police have received the relevant documents from Shrikrishna Hospital, where she had been taken to with a complaint of a stomachache. She died five minutes after receiving an injection.

Association alleges contempt of court

In a fresh petition filed before the high court, the Kerala Cycle Polo Association said the national body refused food and accommodation to its contingent, despite having a favourable court order.

Fathima Nida Shihabuddin. (Supplied)

Subsequently, the athletes had to be accommodated in a local dormitory. Fathima Nida died of food poisoning on Thursday, 22 December, morning, the petitioner association said in the contempt plea filed through advocate Santhan V Nair.

“It is the specific case of the petitioner (Kerala Cycle Polo Association) that the respondents herein (Cycle Polo Federation of India and the Cycle Polo Association of Kerala) are responsible for the death of the player,” the petition alleged.

The petitioner association sought action against both sports bodies for violating the high court order, permitting teams or players selected by it to participate at the national-level event in Nagpur.

It claimed that when it arrived at the venue, the officials of the federation initially declined to allow them to participate. The athletes were allowed to compete only after the intervention of the sports ministry.

However, the petition claimed that the organisers refused the team food and accommodation.

The petition claimed that food and accommodation were provided to the teams and players of the Cycle Polo Association of Kerala, which unlike the petitioners were not recognised by the Sports Council of Kerala.

It also alleged that when the championship commenced on 22 December, entry forms were not collected from it and neither were its players permitted to participate. The teams and players of the Cycle Polo Association of Kerala were allowed to compete.

“The petitioner begs to point out that the respondents herein have committed gross contempt of this court by not permitting the teams sponsored by the petitioner association to participate in the national championship.

“They have committed further contempt of court by permitting the teams sponsored by the second respondent (Cycle Polo Association of Kerala) to participate in the championship,” it said.

The petition further contended that the high court orders were also violated by recognising teams sponsored by the second respondent as the official team representing Kerala and by not providing food, transportation and accommodation to the groups sponsored by the petitioner association.

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Minister demands probe

Kerala Minister for General Education and Labour V Sivankutty wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, demanding a detailed inquiry into the death of the Malayali athlete in Nagpur.

“I have written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde demanding a detailed inquiry into the death of Kerala team member Fathima Nida Shihabuddin, who was in Nagpur, Maharashtra, to participate in the National Cycle Polo Sub-Junior Championship,” the minister said in a Facebook post.

In his letter, he appealed to the Maharashtra government to investigate the allegation of not providing adequate medical care to Fathima Nida. He assured Kerala’s cooperation in the investigation.