3 min readFaridabadUpdated: Feb 8, 2026 08:30 AM IST
Inspector Jagdish Prasad of Palwal Police, who died while trying to rescue people after a swing collapsed at the Surajkund Mela on Saturday, was due to retire in March.
Hailing from Mathura, 59-year-old Prasad had completed 36 years in the force. Posted in the Police Lines at Palwal, he was duty in-charge of the zone where the swing was located, a Faridabad Police spokesperson said.
His son, Gaurav Kunjil (32), told The Indian Express that he does not know whom to hold responsible for the death. “We do not know what happened,” he said.
Besides Kunjil, Prasad is survived by his wife and two daughters. Kunjil, who works as a supervisor in Sonepat, is the eldest among the three siblings.
The broken swing at Surajkund International Atmanirbhar Crafts Mela, in Faridabad on Saturday. (Express photo by Abhimanyu Hazarika)
His mother, who came to the mortuary at the Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, was inconsolable.
“Mujhe chor ke chale gaye (He left me)”, she sobbed.
According to police, after one end of the swing collapsed at the fairground, many people, including shopkeepers and policemen, rushed to rescue the victim.
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While the rescue operation was on, suddenly, the swing broke from the other end as well and fell to the ground, said police. Many people, including Prasad, got stuck and were seriously injured.
“Inspector Jagdish displayed extraordinary courage, dedication to duty, and human compassion while on duty”, Haryana DGP Ajay Singhal said. “Due to his promptness and bravery, many lives were saved, setting a living example of the highest traditions of police service.”
Among the eyewitnesses was Anuj Kumar (19), who sustained injuries in the accident. “It happened all of a sudden. I was near the (deceased) cop when it (metal) fell…,” he said.
The proprietor of a choley-bhatura stall located near the swing, Balveer Singh, rushed to rescue people but was injured when the other side of the swing collapsed on him.
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A staffer stationed near the swing that collapsed claimed over 18 ambulances arrived at the ground. Many of the injured were taken to the nearby Supreme Hospital at Charmwood village on Surajkund road. A guard at the hospital said some of the injured, hailing from Noida and Gurgaon, were discharged after being treated.
The Surajkund International Crafts Mela is held annually in Faridabad. This year, the focus was on the vision of Viksit Bharat-Atmanirbhar Bharat. The fair will end on February 15.
