One day after 28-year-old Bathinda woman was killed in a freak go-carting accident in a Pinjore amusement park, the blame game has begun.
While on one hand the Haryana tourism department has set up a probe panel to look into the accident, in which Puneet Kaur’s scalp was ripped off after her hair got stuck in a go-kart, the amusement park supervisor and the family have different versions of the sequence of events.
‘Was asked to tie hair’
Harbans Singh, supervisor at Aqua Village amusement park, claimed, “I had asked that woman to tie her hair up in a bun. But she decided to put them in her jacket to avoid entanglement. As the ride was near completion, I saw her head tilting towards one side, and asked her husband to apply the brakes. The moment he stopped, the woman’s helmet fell off, with her scalp and hair in it.”
{{/usCountry}}Harbans Singh, supervisor at Aqua Village amusement park, claimed, “I had asked that woman to tie her hair up in a bun. But she decided to put them in her jacket to avoid entanglement. As the ride was near completion, I saw her head tilting towards one side, and asked her husband to apply the brakes. The moment he stopped, the woman’s helmet fell off, with her scalp and hair in it.”
{{/usCountry}}“It all happened within a few seconds. She was breathing when we rushed her to the hospital. But died later. It’s very unfortunate,” he added, adding that he ensured every person with long hair tied them into a bun with rubber bands, but the woman did not pay heed.
Park contractor Sushil Malik said, “I had bought 11 new go-karts manufactured by KnK Company around three months ago. But only five were put to use. The speed of the kart, powered by a 2.5 horsepower engine, is only around 15km per hour. Around 7-10 people take the ride on the weekends.”
“Riders take rounds on these karts on a 200-metre track. Only those above 12 years are permitted to participate,” he said, adding, “We ensure each rider wears a helmet, and those with long hair are instructed to tie them properly.”
Family alleges negligence
Puneet’s family on the other hand rubbished the supervisor’s claim, saying Puneet was not provided any rubber band. “They neither gave her a rubber band nor gave any clear instruction. Sheer negligence on the part of the park operator and district administration has led to the death of my niece,” Puneet’s uncle Bobby Mann said.
“We have lodged a police complaint against the park to serve them a lesson. We have lost our child, but don’t want anyone else to meet such a brutal end,” he added.
Meanwhile, the amusement park wore a deserted look on Thursday, as the park contractor closed it for operations for a day. No one, except the staff, was allowed to enter the park.