Jagdish Prasad won Police Medal in 2020 – All about the inspector killed in joyride collapse at Surajkund Mela

Jagdish Prasad, the 58-year-old on-duty police inspector, died trying to save people at the Surajkund fairgrounds after a giant swing snapped mid-air and collapsed.

About 19 people were riding the swing when it tilted around 6 pm on Saturday before crashing onto the ground, leaving 11 injured.

The officer showed great bravery in trying to save those trapped in the swing, but received severe injuries in the process, leading to his death, a senior officer said.

Prasad, who 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.

Haryana DGP Ajay Singhal has announced a compensation of ₹1 crore for the inspector and a government job to one member of his family. Stating that Prasad will be given the status of a martyr, the DGP lauded the officer for sacrificing his life trying to save the lives of others.

Prasad is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son, all students and unmarried. His sudden demise has shocked his native village, Dengra, in Mathura district.

He has three brothers: Pradeep, a teacher who lives in the village with their father Surajmal and mother Shanti Devi. Other brother, Satish Chandra, who works at a chemical factory in Ballabgarh, and Chandrabhan Singh, who works at a motor company in Faridabad.

"We received the news at 8 pm on Saturday. His wife Sudha lives with her two daughters, Nidhi and Deepti, and son Gaurav, in a government accommodation in the Sonipat Police Lines. My brother was awarded the Police Medal by the governor in 2019-20," Pradeep said.

A committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner will investigate the accident, and a case has been registered against the swing vendor, officials said.

Haryana Tourism Minister Arvind Sharma said the injured people are out of danger now.

Despite a death in 2002 and an injury in 2019, Saturday saw another fatality.

In 2002, a young man died on a swing in the Surajkund fair area. At that time, swings were suspended for a few years. Another accident in 2019 injured a young man, after which swings were again suspended.

They were restarted keeping in view the revenues they generated.

According to officials, strict rules are in place for installing swings, for which daily inspections need to be conducted.