Police Medal Awardee, Was To Retire In March: Cop Who Died At Surajkund Fair

As an amusement ride started tilting at Faridabad's Surajkund fair on Saturday, later crashing down, police officer Jagdish Prasad and two female constables rushed to the spot to evacuate panicked people on the 'tsunami' swing. He sustained a head injury and later died during treatment.

Posted in Haryana's Palwal, 57-year-old Prasad was a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Mathura. He had been assigned to Surajkund Mela duty on January 31. He was known among colleagues for his dedication, discipline and sense of responsibility.

Prasad had joined the Haryana Armed Police in 1989 and was to retire in March after completing 36 years in the force. He was awarded the Police Medal by the Haryana governor in 2019-20, PTI reported.

Prasad is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son, all students and unmarried. One of Prasad's brothers, Pradeep, is a teacher and lives in their native village with his father Surajmal and mother Shanti Devi. PTI reported that his other brother Satish Chandra works at a chemical factory in Ballabgarh, while another Chandrabhan Singh works at a motor company in Faridabad.

Director General of Police Ajay Singhal said the inspector's family would be given Rs 1 crore as per policy, along with other benefits provided by the department. He added that the Haryana Police will extend all possible assistance to the bereaved family. He said that Jagdish's contribution and commitment will always remain a source of inspiration, and his death is an irreparable loss to the department. Singhal further said Prasad will be given the status of a martyr.

Among the 11 injured are Nilay (Assistant Sub-Inspector), Sunil of Mahendragarh, Harsh Prakash of Greater Noida, Prashant of Dholpur in Rajasthan, Anisha of Faridabad, Shivani of Noida and Parvinder. All have been admitted to nearby hospitals and remain under treatment.

An FIR has been registered against the vendor and a committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner will investigate the incident.

A day later, the crashed ride was removed and a different joy ride was installed in its place at the Surajkund fair, which attracts thousands of visitors from India and abroad.

In 2002, a man died on a swing in the Surajkund fair area. In 2019, a man was injured on one of the swings. In both cases, the rides were restarted after varying periods of suspension.