A family trip to see Taj Mahal, 16-year-old’s zipline request, then tragedy
Agra Police said the teen fell 45 feet to his death. The owner and manager of the ride have been arrested.
A last family photo taken during their Agra trip. A 16-year-old boy fell 45 feet to his death during a zipline ride at Agra Chaupati, when the pulley lock allegedly snapped.
Police said the zipline malfunctioned just moments after Kunal Agarwal had set off, causing him to fall barely 10 feet from the starting point.
Kunal, a resident of Firozabad, had travelled to Agra with his parents for a family outing. After visiting the Taj Mahal, the family was preparing to return home when Kunal repeatedly urged them to let him try the zipline attraction at Agra Chaupati, a popular adventure zone, in Tajnagri Phase-2.
Police said Kunal was excited as he stepped onto the zipline platform, while his parents and younger brother stood a short distance away watching him. Seconds after he set off, a video shows the teenager suddenly plunging from the height, hitting a platform, before falling to the ground.
Panic spread as family members and bystanders rushed to his aid before he was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Kunal’s father, Pankaj Agarwal, said the family had been planning the trip to Agra for several days at the request of his children. A bangles trader, he said, “My shop was closed on Sunday, so I decided to take my wife Rinki and our sons, Kunal and Mayank Agarwal, to Agra,” he said. “We visited several places and also saw a movie before going to the Taj Mahal. We later went to Agra Chaupati in the evening.”
Pankaj said they got there around 5 pm. Kunal, a Class XI student, was very eager to try the zipline and the family purchased a Rs 400 ticket for him.
“His feet had just left the platform when we suddenly saw him falling to the ground,” Pankaj said. “No parent can imagine the horror of watching their child lose his life before their eyes.”
The grieving father alleged that gross negligence on the part of those operating the zipline led to the tragedy. “Because of their negligence, I lost my son,” he said.
A case has been filed against three persons, including the owner and the manager of the zipline operation, under BNS section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) based on Pankaj’s complaint.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Agra, Syed Ali Abbas, said two of the accused identified as Santosh Kumar Dubey (58), manager, and Abhishek (27), maintenance in charge of zipline, have been arrested.
Police said they found serious lapses in safety arrangements at the site. Police said a technical inspection of the zipline equipment will be carried out as part of the investigation.
Preliminary findings also suggested that the operators had failed to put adequate safety measures in place.
Officials said the teenager was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, while no protective netting or cushioning had been installed beneath the ride to reduce the impact of a fall. The zipline ride, police said, stretches for nearly 100 feet and is suspended at a height of about 45 feet above the ground.
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