‘Was calm, humble’: Colleagues remember cop who died amid Surajkund swing collapse rescue op as family bids final adieu amid state honours
Ayush Sinha, Deputy Commissioner, Faridabad, and Parth Gupta, Managing Director, Haryana Tourism Corporation Limited, insisted that all technical checks were in place and daily mechanical inspection reports were being sent.
Inspector Jagdish Prasad of the Palwal Police, who succumbed to serious injuries that he suffered while rescuing people during a swing collapse at the International Surajkund Crafts Fair, was on Sunday cremated with state honours at his native Dengar village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura. He will be given the status of a martyr, Haryana DGP Ajay Singhal told his family as he praised Prasad’s efforts in trying to save lives during the accident.
Prasad’s last rites were performed on the banks of the Yamuna River by his son Gaurav after the body was handed over to the family following the post-mortem on Sunday morning. “He had promised to meet again only after the fair was over, but that meeting proved to be the last. One of my sisters had to get married in November, but all shattered now,” the son was quoted as saying by PTI.
Palawal SP Varun Singhla was among the attendees. “The paperwork for the martyr status is underway,” a Faridabad Police spokesperson said.
Inspector Jagdish, who joined the Haryana Armed Police in 1989 and was due to retire in March, was assigned to duty at the annual crafts fair on January 31. His colleagues remember him as a calm and humble person. “He was very humble and had a quiet and calm demeanor,” Special Police Officer (SPO) Phool Singh told The Indian Express.
Prasad was scheduled to take leave for a few days after the fair to work on renovations in his house and looked forward to retiring in peace, Singh added. Getting emotional, he further said, “I would tell him I get scared looking at the swing, and would tell him, despite him being my senior, not to be near it. Everyday, some young girl or boy would vomit after the ride. He still went to save the riders. I have no more words.” Another colleague, not wishing to be named, said all the ride operators seem to have left the area after the incident.
Prasad was known in the department for his loyalty to duties, discipline, and sense of duty, the Faridabad Police underlined in a statement.
The injured include two women cops on duty at the Mela as well — Assistant Sub-Inspector Neelam and Constable Sharmila — as well as special police officer Harsh Prakash. “The government is bearing the cost of treatment of the injured; six of the 12 admitted yesterday were discharged on Sunday morning,”said Parth Gupta, Managing Director of Haryana Tourism Corporation Limited. Other injured and still in hospital are Harsh Prakash, a resident of Greater Noida; IIT Delhi third-year student Prashant, a resident of Rajasthan; Amisha, a resident of Sector 91 in Faridabad; and Parvinder of New Delhi.
Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana.
Education
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020)
- B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019)
Professional Experience
Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features.
Reporting Interests
His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon.
Recent Coverage (2025)
- Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025).
- Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025).
- Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025).
- Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram.
- Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025).
- Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025).
Contact
X (Twitter): @AB_Hazardous ... Read More
