A 59-year-old on duty police officer was killed and 14 people injured as Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Faridabad witnessed two back-to-back accidents — the collapse of a giant swing and a gate — within an hour on Saturday evening.
The giant swing, which had around 20 people sitting on it, snapped mid-air around 6 pm.
As Inspector Jagdish Prasad, among others, rushed to rescue people, a heavy portion of the swing fell on him and crushed him, said police. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.
Prasad was duty in-charge of the zone where the swing was located, a Faridabad Police spokesperson said. Twelve others were injured in this incident.
This was just an hour after a gate near the Food Court fell due to strong winds, injuring a man and a child. PTI identified the injured man as Sumit Malhotra.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Varun Dahiya has been formed by the Faridabad Police after the state government ordered a probe into the swing collapse incident.
Haryana Tourism Minister Arvind Sharma, who met the injured, said an FIR has been filed against the “vendor responsible”. Strictest action will be taken and no one will be spared, he added.
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Around 6 pm, when the swing collapsed, rescue efforts were launched and the area was barricaded. Faridabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ayush Sinha, Managing Director of Haryana Tourism Corporation Limited, Parth Gupta, and senior police officers rushed to the spot.
“A total of 13 people were injured in the swing collapse, and one has died. It is unfortunate. The vendor is based in Himachal Pradesh. He was chosen
by the Tourism department,” said Sinha.
“The inspector died while rescuing people… He was standing on the opposite side when the swing fell. A heavy part of it crushed him and he suffered serious injuries. He was declared dead at the hospital,” he added.
The injured were rushed to Supreme Hospital on Surajkund Road and BK Hospital, said officers.
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A district administration official told The Indian Express, “Emergency and medical staff reached within 10 minutes and ensured the injured were rushed to the hospital. One man died because he was already severely injured . Others seriously injured were promptly admitted to ICUs.”
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini condoled the police officer’s death.
“I am deeply saddened by the accident that occurred during the Surajkund Mela organised in Faridabad. I express my heartfelt condolences to the family of the person who lost his life in this incident. At the same time, necessary directions have been issued to the authorities concerned for the appropriate and immediate treatment of the injured individuals,” he was quoted as saying in a statement.
“The Haryana government is fully committed, with utmost promptness and sensitivity, to providing all possible assistance to the injured and their families,” the CM added.
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Addressing the press, Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Ajay Singhal said that Prasad’s family will be provided a compensation of Rs 1 crore, along with other benefits from the police department. The Haryana Police will extend every possible assistance to the family, he added.
The Surajkund International Crafts Mela is held annually, usually in the month of February, in Faridabad and draws a huge footfall of visitors. Organised by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism, in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture, and External Affairs, it has been running since 1987 and is widely regarded as one of the largest such crafts fairs in the world.
It serves as a major platform to showcase and preserve India’s rich diversity of handicrafts, handlooms, folk arts, traditional paintings, metalwork, pottery, woodcraft, and regional cuisines, according to the organisers.
The Mela began on January 31 this year and will continue till February 15. This year’s theme is “Local to Global — Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
