Not a fair run for Budhia?

Budhia Singh, whose record-making marathon could have resulted in heart failure, was taken to the hospital for a check-up on Friday. The five-year-old made it to the Limca Book of Records on Tuesday after running a distance of 65 km in 7.02 hours.

Budhia Singh, whose record-making marathon could have resulted in heart failure, was taken to the hospital for a check-up on Friday. The five-year-old made it to the Limca Book of Records on Tuesday after running a distance of 65 km in 7.02 hours.

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Police said Budhia had been brought to the hospital for examination on the direction of the Khurda district child welfare committee, which had earlier opposed the move to make him run such long distances.

It has initiated proceedings against Budhia’s coach and mentor Biranchi Das on the ground of alleged cruelty and exploitation. Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today sought comments from the state government on the incident.

NHRC said a number of doctors had voiced concern about the incident, saying long distance runs could make the heart beat faster to meet the extra demand for oxygen, which could result in heart failure.

The Commission quoted the doctors as saying, “Budhia’s cartilages could face serious wear and tear, ultimately affecting his normal growth. They also fear that nutritional deficiency, resulting from the abnormal amount of calories that the child burns up, by running long distances could also affect his muscle growth and bone strength.”

“If the contents of the reports are true it raises serious issue of violation of human rights of the child,” the Commission said. Meanwhile, the CRPF has also sought a report into the incident from the Orissa unit of the force, which conducted the marathon.

The CRPF chief said the mandatory permission was not sought.