Death of Kerala kick boxer: Family denies he was forcibly moved from Raipur hospital

National level gold medallist KK Harikrishnan had been airlifted to a hospital in his hometown Kottayam just a day before he died.
Death of Kerala kick boxer: Family denies he was forcibly moved from Raipur hospital
Death of Kerala kick boxer: Family denies he was forcibly moved from Raipur hospital
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Two days after the death of KK Harikrishnan, the gifted kick boxer from Kerala, his family is weighed down equally by media reports that say that the death was caused by infection at a hospital in Raipur where he initially undergone treatment.

The 24-year old boxer hailing from Kottayam sustained a head injury during the National Kickboxing Championship held in September at Raipur, Chhattigarh. He fell unconscious during the final of the championship and was rushed to the BR Ambedkar Hospital at Raipur.

He died at the Vaikom Indo-American Hospital at Kottayam early morning on Thursday. The death happened a day after he was airlifted to Kottayam.

But various media reports suggested that he got infected after he was hurriedly shifted from the VIP block of the Ambedkar Hospital. There were allegations that Chhattigarh Chief Minister Raman Singh had vacated a floor of the hospital for his daughter-in-law who was admitted there for her delivery.

Speaking to TNM, Binuraj, Harikrishnan’s cousin, said, “We shifted him to Kottayam after his condition became stable. The reports which say that he was forcibly shifted from the Raipur hospital is not right. The treatment we received there was the best, and since it was a government-run hospital the treatment was free. His parents and sister haven’t yet recovered from the shock. But such reports which bring unnecessary controversy also worry them."

The championship was held from September 6-10 at Raipur in which nearly 2,000 contestants participated. Harikrishnan, a national level gold medallist, fell unconscious during the final round on September 9.

“It was a brain hemorrahage and naturally it took time for his condition to become stable. What was needed was long-term rehabilitation. Our family is concerned about these reports blaming the Raipur hospital authorities, which are being spread without even checking with us. It won’t help in anything. What we have lost is lost. His parents are not in a state to answer phone calls. He didn’t get infected at all at the Raipur hospital and he was not forcibly shifted by anyone,” Binuraj added.

He said that Harikrishnan’s death wasn’t connected with anything that happened at the Raipur hospital and the family was hopeful of his recovery after his condition became stable.

Harikrishnan is a native of Kadappoor near Ettumanoor in the district. He is survived by his father Krishnankutty, mother Santhakumari and sister Anjali.

Harikrishnan had won gold medals in the National Taekwondo Championships held in 2011 and 2012. In 2017, 2014 and 2013, he had won silver medals in the championship.

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