Teen's dream of becoming a cricketer crushed by pitch roller at Maharashtra summer camp in Solapur

KOLHAPUR: A 15-year-old’s dream of becoming a cricketer ended in a horrific accident when he was crushed to death under a heavy pitch roller, allegedly being pulled by a group of children without supervision, during a cricket summer camp in Barshi town of Solapur district on Saturday morning.

The Barshi city police have registered a case against two coaches and two organisations, including a local cricket association, under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). No arrests had been made till late on Sunday evening.

Aarav, alias Viren Chaudhary, a Class IX student preparing to enter Class X, had enrolled in the camp after persuading his father to sign him up for formal training.

According to the police, the incident occurred around 7.30am when children were allegedly instructed to level the pitch using a heavy roller, equipment typically meant to be handled under supervision.

Sub-inspector Mahesh Galgate, of the Barshi city police station, said, “The father of the boy told us that the incident occurred around 7.30am. Around 12 to 15 children were asked to level the pitch. Aarav slipped, and the heavy roller rolled over him. He was immediately taken to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. The postmortem analysis is reserved. His father claimed that there was no supervisor to monitor the children's work, and that this amounted to gross negligence. We are investigating the case. So far, no one has been arrested.”

The police said further investigation is underway.