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Two athletes found dead at Sports Authority of India hostel in Kerala’s Kollam

Kerala tragedy as two teenage athletes from Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram were found dead in their SAI hostel room in Kollam after missing morning coaching.

2 min readUpdated: Jan 15, 2026 07:17 PM IST

Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

The bodies of two teenage athletes were found inside their locked hostel room at an SAI facility in Kollam after they failed to report for morning training. (Image from SAI Facebook)

Two teenage athletes were found dead at their Sports Authority of India (SAI)-run hostel in Kollam Thursday.

The 16- and 18-year-old were found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room on the first floor of the hostel. One of the victims was a kabaddi player and the other an athlete.

“We have recovered a suicide note signed by both in which they have sought apology from the parents for having taken the extreme step. The matter is under investigation. Parents of the girls have not so far raised any doubts or complaints about the suicides,” Kollam East Police Station House Officer Pushpakumar G said.

He added: “A case for unnatural death has been registered. Probe into other angles will be taken based on the postmortem reports”.

Police said that while both girls were allotted separate rooms, one victim went to the other’s room and asked her roommates to leave.

When the two did not turn up for their coaching session, their peers went to the room and found the door locked. When they broke it open, they found the girls hanging from the ceiling, police said.

SAI Kollam centre in charge Rajeev Thomas said the hostel has 40 girls who are given coaching in athletics, hockey and kabaddi.

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“I don’t want to comment on the suicide as the matter is being probed by police,” he said.

Shaju Philip

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More

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