As Class 12 student Faiz Abdul Jalal, 18, remains in critical condition after suffering a severe head injury during a CBSE South Zone-II Taekwondo tournament in Maharashtra on August 3, experts have flagged a possible lapse at the venue, pointing to the size of the safety area around the competition mat.

According to Ratheesh, General Secretary of the Kerala Taekwondo Association, footage of the incident suggests that Faiz hit his head on the cemented surface outside the mat after being kicked in the head. "The regular measurement for the mat is 8x8 metres, and with the extra safety area, the total area should be 10x10 metres. However, as per the video, the boy fell on impact of the kick and his head hit the area outside the mat, which is cemented, while his shoulder remained on the mat. If the safety area had been provided as prescribed, his head would have hit the mat. It is this impact from the fall that led to the grievous injury," Ratheesh told Onmanorama.

Recounting the incident, Anand, the physical education teacher at Ansar English School, Perumpilavu, who accompanied Faiz to the tournament, said the opponent first kicked the student in the groin. "Just as the referee was calling the foul, without seeing it, the opponent kicked him in the head. On impact, his head hit the cemented area outside the mat, which was 8x8 metres in measurement," the teacher told Onmanorama.

After the incident, a medical team from the host school accompanied Faiz and the team to a nearby hospital. He was then shifted to Bhogawar Hospital, Chandrapur, for advanced treatment. Doctors immediately performed emergency left parieto-temporal decompressive craniectomy, and he was shifted to a private hospital in Ernakulam three days ago, after he was stable enough to be transported, Anand said.

Meanwhile, Ratheesh flagged the absence of a coach accompanying Faiz during the tournament. "It is truly unfortunate what has happened, and no student should have to suffer this ordeal. First, groin kicks are not allowed. If a coach had been present for Faiz, he could have appealed and intervened when the first kick happened. Second, the boy was not wearing a groin guard, which is very important. A coach could have ensured that as well," Ratheesh said. He said he would write to the CBSE Chairman seeking mandatory deployment of coaches along with students participating in such tournaments.

According to Shabeeb M K, the Taekwondo trainer at Ansar English School and the Thrissur District President of the Taekwondo Association, Faiz joined the school in Class 11. "Faiz was previously abroad and had participated in several competitions there. For the CBSE competition, his parents directly applied, as there is an option under CBSE to do so. I was informed only after he had been selected for the event, and he had not sought any training from me. Faiz, along with three other students selected from the school, was accompanied by two other staff members, including the physical education teacher, to the tournament," Shabeeb said.

Meanwhile, Faiz's father, Abdul Jalal, has filed a complaint with the CBSE Chairman and other officials, seeking an immediate inquiry into the conduct of the referee, tournament organisers and the accompanying school staff.

The complaint alleges that the referee failed to act on rule violations during the bout. The family has sought the preservation and release of the CCTV footage, incident report and other tournament records.

According to the complaint, Faiz sustained the injury after an opponent allegedly kicked him in the groin and subsequently delivered a kick to his head while the bout was being stopped.

"The opponent (in red) delivered a kick directly to my son's groin, an unambiguous foul under the applicable rules, which required the referee to immediately stop the bout and issue a card against the opponent. The referee did not stop the match. My son was compelled to continue despite the injury and visibly began moving out of the contest area while holding his groin with both hands and signalling to stop. Notwithstanding this, and even as the referee belatedly acted to halt play, the opponent delivered a further kick directly to my son's head, by which time my son had already signalled discontinuation and was outside the match area," the complaint read.