Woman dies after falling from amusement ride at Delhi fair; venue violated 11pm deadline

A woman died after a ride gate broke at a Delhi fair operating past permitted hours; police added negligence charges and are probing responsibility.

New Delhi: A 27-year-old woman who had fallen off an amusement ride when its gate broke at a fair in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri in the early hours of Tuesday succumbed to her injuries at a government hospital on Wednesday, police said. Police also found that the fair was only permitted to open until 11pm, while the accident took place after midnight.

“We are probing the case further to fix responsibility for the fatal mishap. Arrests would happen in a day or two,” the DCP said.

The police, identifying the woman as Gudiya, of Uttam Nagar in southwest Delhi, said they have added charges of causing death by negligence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to the FIR in this regard. They said the other injured person, 33-year-old Ravi, is still undergoing treatment.

“Gudiya succumbed to her injuries during treatment. We have added Section 106 of the BNS to the FIR for the death caused by negligence. The organisers at the Dussehra Ground in Vikaspuri F-block and operators of the amusement rides had obtained all requisite permissions from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and other authorities concerned,” said deputy commissioner of police (west) Hareshwar V Swami.

“We are probing the case further to fix responsibility for the fatal mishap. Arrests would happen in a day or two,” the DCP said.

At 1.36am on Tuesday, the gate of a “Mixer Ride” at Dussehra Ground in F-Block, Vikaspuri, broke and caused the two people to fall and sustain injuries. The injured were initially taken to Mata Chanan Devi Hospital for treatment and later admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

A police officer, who asked not to be named, said investigators found that the fair was permitted to operate only until 11pm, while the accident occurred at 1.36am. Investigators are probing why the ride was operating beyond the permitted hours and who authorised it.

“The role of the ride operator and the staff responsible for its maintenance is also being examined. Whether the gate broke due to a technical fault, inadequate maintenance or negligence in safety arrangements is also being probed. Investigators are also checking whether the ride’s mechanics were inspected before it was operated,” the officer said.

The operator and maintenance staff were questioned on Wednesday, the police said.

A spokesperson for the MCD said that inspection of such rides are carried out pre-operation, after which no-objection certificates are issued. “In this case, the door was not locked properly by the operator due to which the incident took place. The ride was having NOC subject to compliance of all safety procedures issued as SOP,” the official said.

BS Vohra, who heads the East Delhi RWA joint front, said that while accidents can take place anywhere but a lack of existent safety regulations is a serious concern. “Just like government is phasing out old vehicles, these old rides, which are painted every year and reused, should also go through stringent checks. These fairs keep moving from one place to another. Whoever gives NOC to these rides as well as the organisers should be held accountable for loss of a precious life,” he said.