SAI athletes undergo counselling sessions in ‘disturbed’ state

Alappuzha: Athletes at the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) centre here are undergoing counselling sessions to get over the trauma of recent suicide attempt by their four colleagues, of whom one had died, over alleged harassment by seniors.

An official of the Water Training Centre here said the four-day counselling session, which began on Monday, would continue for two more days.

Most of the athletes are in a "disturbed state", but they were recouping, the official said, adding that there would be one-to-one sessions as well.

The athletes have also begun training sessions and are slowly returning to normalcy. Kerala Human Rights Commission chief investigating officer D Srijit also visited the campus and spoke to the athletes.

The four students in an alleged suicide pact had consumed a poisonous fruit, locally called 'Othalanga', last week.

The SAI authorities have chopped off the shrub of 'Othalanga' (Cerbera Odollom) known as suicide fruit, from near the campus. The shrub, grows wild in coastal and swampy areas in many parts of Kerala.

Meanwhile, the condition of the three athletes undergoing treatment at the Alapuzha Medical College hospital continues to be stable. But they need some observation for few more days, according to the hospital Superintendent Dr Santosh Raghavan.