The Director General of Sports Neelam Kapur on Wednesday ordered an internal enquiry to ascertain the facts behind the suicide of sprinter Palinder Chaudhry.
The enquiry panel will be headed by Sports Authority of India (SAI) Secretary S S Chhabra.
Speaking about the matter, Kapur said, "The enquiry officer will speak to all concerned people - coaches, other athletes, and his family members, especially his sister who had come to visit him that evening, to understand what may have led him to take this extreme step. This is a very sad turn of events and we are extending all support to the family. Arrangements are being made to send the body to Aligarh for his the last rites."
Meanwhile, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has expressed condolences at the loss of the 18-year-old sprinter.
The sprinter was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside his hostel room in the athletics academy yesterday.
Chaudhary had joined the National Athletics Academy of SAI in November 2016. Last year, he was selected for Asian Youth Championships held at Bangkok and won a gold medal in the relay race. He also participated in the World Youth Championship in July 2017.
Earlier this year, he was away at Jabalpur till July to complete the joining formalities in the Indian Army, where he had been selected. He joined regular training at the academy in the stadium, thereafter.