Medical board to investigate athletes suicide attempt: Sonowal

NEW DELHI: Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said a medical board has been constituted to investigate the suicide attempt by four young athletes in Kerala, one of whom has lost her life.

"We have constituted a medical board (for the inquiry into the incident) and our priority is to save the lives of those athletes (girls)," Sonowal said on the sidelines of a conference here.

In a tragic turn of events, a young athlete died and three of her colleagues were battling for life after they ate a poison fruit under an apparent suicide pact following alleged harassment by seniors at the Sports Authority of India centre in Kerala.

All the four were undergoing training at the Water Sports Centre of the SAI in Alapuzha.

A stunned Sports Ministry swung into action by ordering an inquiry and directing SAI Director General Injeti Srinivas to rush to Kerala for an on the spot assessment.