Bathinda woman killed in go-kart mishap: Haryana tourism dept sets up probe panel

Department director holds amusement park operator responsible for 28-year-old woman’s death

A day after a 28-year-old Bathinda woman was killed after her scalp was ripped off during a go-kart ride at an amusement park in Pinjore, the Haryana Tourism Corporation (HTC) on Thursday set up a probe committee to look into the reasons and circumstances that led to her death.

A man points to the section of a go-kart in which Puneet Kaur’s hair was caught, ripping her scalp off on Wednesday. The vehicle has been impounded and kept at the Pinjore police station. (Sant Arora/HT)

The victim, Puneet Kaur, resident of Rampura Phul in Bathinda, was visiting the park, Aqua Village, adjacent to Yadavindra Gardens, along with her husband Amardeep Singh, a farmer, and their two-year-old son, besides other family members.

While riding a go-kart, an open wheel car used for recreational purposes, her hair got caught in the vehicle’s wheel, tearing her scalp off the head.

Terming the incident “very unfortunate”, Sameer Pal Srow, director and special secretary, HTC, said, “We feel sorry for the family.”

“The tourism department is a party to the FIR, and has constituted a high-level committee headed by the HTC additional managing director, and comprising department’s chief engineer and general manager (management),” he said, while holding the park operator responsible for the accident.

The victim Puneet Kaur was 28 years old.

“The department had leased out the park to a contractor for 10 years in 2013. Whenever an amusement park is allotted on contract, we ensure all terms and conditions regarding security and safety are followed by the contractor. But it’s the contractor’s responsibility to ensure the rules are followed, which is made clear when the agreement is signed,” Srow said.

He said, “The three-member committee will investigate the circumstances and reasons that led to the mishap. I have also asked the panel to make recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future.”

Srow has also issued instructions to all officers to re-examine the security arrangements of all rides in amusement parks across the state, and take corrective measures wherever needed.

Autopsy performed

On Thursday, the body was transported to Government Hospital, Kalka, where the autopsy was performed around 9:30am. The family left for Bathinda with the body around 1:30pm.

While the hospital did not release findings of the autopsy, a hospital staff, who was among the team that performed the procedure, said, “The woman’s spinal cord had snapped, which could have led to her death.”