Basketball court, pull ups, then fall: 20-year-old Marine Engineering student dies in Pune

Talegaon MIDC police said Vishal Verma decided to do pull-ups on the basketball structure. But within moments, things took a tragic turn.

Updated on: Apr 6, 2026, 14:53:32 IST

Reported by Shrinivas Deshpande | Edited by Priyanshu Priya

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A quiet Sunday morning routine turned fatal for a 20-year-old Marine Engineering student in Pune, after a basketball structure collapsed on him inside his college campus in Induri, Maval.

20-year-old Vishal Verma was about to head to his room when he decided to pull ups in the college basketball court. (Vishal Verma/LinkedIn)

Vishal Varma, a second-year student originally from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, had just finished his morning routine and was heading back to his room when he briefly stopped at an empty basketball court on campus – a pause that would turn fatal.

A routine stop turned deadly

According to the Talegaon MIDC police, Vishal decided to do pull-ups on the basketball structure. But within moments, things took a tragic turn.

“The basketball structure was broken and collapsed. He came under an iron pole and was seriously injured,” Senior police inspector Santosh Patil said.

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The impact left him with a severe scarf fracture.

Following the incident, Vishal was immediately taken to a nearby hospital in the Talegaon area. Despite efforts to save him, doctors declared him dead on arrival.

There have also been allegations that the ambulance reached late, though officials have said there is no confirmation on this so far.

Questions over safety, probe underway

The incident has raised concerns over the condition and maintenance of sports infrastructure within the campus.

Police have registered an accidental death report at the Talegaon MIDC police station. Officials said a detailed investigation is underway, and a decision on whether there was any negligence will be taken based on the findings.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Verma had enrolled in a B Tech Marine Engineering course at Tolani Maritime Institute, Pune, in 2024. He was expected to complete the programme in 2028.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Priyanshu Priya
Priyanshu Priya is a journalist with nearly three years of newsroom experience, driven by a deep belief that stories, when told right, can shape conversations and hold power to account. Currently working as a Senior Content Producer with Hindustan Times, she writes on a wide spectrum of issues, from Indian politics and Delhi’s public concerns to global trade tensions and high-stakes crime stories. Priya joined HT at a pivotal moment, as Operation Sindoor was unfolding, and has since covered some of the most defining developments in recent times. Her reporting spans the Air India plane crash and the Pahalgam terror attack to India–US trade tensions, unrest in the Middle East, and key Assembly elections across states. She thrives in the fast-paced world of breaking news. In 2025–26, she was recognised with the Hindustan Times Digi Journo of the Q3 Award for driving over 4 million page views in a single month. A postgraduate in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and a Mass Communication graduate from Patna Women’s College, Priya began her news career with the Zee News English team, where she extensively covered the Lok Sabha Election 2024, along with the Delhi and Maharashtra Assembly elections. When she’s not tracking or writing the next big development, she unwinds by watching series and films, reading books with strong female protagonists, and revisiting comfort shows for the familiar ease they bring when life feels a little too jittery.Read More

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