Junior shooter collapses at Karni Singh Range

New Delhi: The sweltering heat in the capital is taking a toll on the junior shooters undergoing a trial camp at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Ranges here, with one of them suffering a "nervous breakdown" recently.

A junior shooter named Puskhar, from Madhya Pradesh, suddenly collapsed at the range a few days back during the trials which were overseen by Jaspal Rana, multiple Asian Games gold medallist, who is the coach of Indian junior shooting team. According to NRAI sources, Pushkar was immediately rushed to the Batra Hospital, located near the range, and provided medical assistance. The shooter`s parents were, however, not happy with the way the camp was being conducted in the summer months, the sources said. "Their (parents`) grievances are that the shooters` age and physical conditions should be kept in mind while conducting camps for them. They are young and should be treated with utmost care. It is very hot out here and the coach needs to consider all these factors," a source said. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), on its part, said the coach cannot be blamed for such an incident. "Yes, one boy had a problem, but that was just due to the heat conditions. How can they blame the coach, who is one of the finest shooters in the country? For example, when we have conducted national camps in winters there have been times when shooters coming from South India fell ill because of the chill which they are not used to," NRAI general secretary Rajiv Bhatia told PTI. Bhatia said the federation was taking care of all the expenses for the treatment of the shooter. PTI