Nearly four months after a ride collapse at the Surajkund Mela in Faridabad claimed the life of a police inspector and injured several others, investigators have arrested the man who assembled the ill-fated “Tsunami” jhula. He is the sixth accused to be arrested in a case that exposed serious lapses in the safety oversight of amusement rides at large public events.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the February 7 incident arrested Raees Ahmad, a resident of Khatoli village in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district. Ahmad was produced before a court, which granted him bail the same day. Investigators said Ahmad was responsible for assembling the Tsunami ride at the mela site.
The February 7 collapse triggered a chain of events that turned a rescue operation into a second tragedy. After the jhula broke down, the police and administrative teams rushed to evacuate visitors from the area. During the rescue operation, another section of the ride also gave way. Inspector Jagdish Prasad, who was supervising the evacuation, died in the line of duty. Several police personnel also suffered injuries. Eyewitnesses reported scenes of panic as the structure collapsed with visitors still nearby.
A case was registered at the Surajkund police station and an SIT was formed in view of the seriousness of the incident. The team has since been working to fix accountability across the entire lifecycle of the ride — from its manufacture and transportation to its assembly and operation. Five accused had been arrested before Ahmad, taking the total number of arrests in the case to six.
Investigators are now examining responsibility at every stage and assessing whether the collapse was caused by negligence, a technical fault, or a combination of both. The police said the complete picture would emerge after the investigation is concluded.
The incident also prompted the district administration to order safety audits of all other rides and temporary structures installed at the mela. The collapse raised wider concerns about the adequacy of certification, inspection and safety protocols for amusement equipment at large public gatherings in Haryana.
