SILIGURI, 28 APRIL: Sailendra Nath Roy was famous in these areas as
the Guinness world record holder; on 1 March, 2011, he entered the
record books by travelling 82.50 metres ((270 feet) on a zip wire using
his hair at Neemrana Fort Palace in Neemrana, Rajasthan. Today, while
attempting to cross the Coronation bridge over the Tessta river at
Savoke ~ a distance of around 600 feet ~ on a wire by using his tuft of
hair, he died.
47-year-old Roy, a resident of Desh Bandhu Para
in Siliguri, had traversed some distance along the wire that was tied 70
feet above the water level when he got stuck. Despite the best of his
efforts, he could move no further. He remained hanging there for around
45 minutes, while locals and his teammates tried to bring him down in
vain. After some time, a driver of a Sikkim-bound vehicle managed to
bring him down and took him to a Siliguri hospital, where he was
declared dead on arrival.
The incident raises questions regarding
the lack of adequate safety measures during the stunt. According to
sources, the fire brigade ~ the most crucial factor in the safety net ~
was not present during the stunt.
“It shows how negligent the
administration was, even during such a big event. Roy was hanging there
for 45 minutes, but there was no help from the police or civil
administration. No rescue team or disaster management team was deployed
for an emergency. One expects proper arrangement from the
administration, especially when a Guinness record holder was performing a
stunt," said Ms Ankita Arora, an eyewitness and a resident of Siliguri.
When asked to comment on the incident, a senior Darjeeling
police officer said they came to know about it this morning. “We came to
know about the event in the morning from Siliguri police,
but did
not have enough time to arrange for safety measures. If the Siliguri
police had informed us on time, we could have taken all necessary
measures," said the officer. The incident occurred at Savoke, which
comes under the jurisdiction of Darjeeling police.
Siliguri police commissioner Mr K Jayaraman refused to comment on the matter.
Hundreds
of people had thronged the Coronation Bridge to watch the stunt.
Doctors said Roy might have died of heart attack. The record holder is
survived by wife, two sons and a daughter. Last year, he pulled the toy
train with his tuft, and his death has shocked many in the town.
Darjeeling
District Magistrate Soumitra Mohan said it was very unfortunate that
Roy had not taken official permission for the event. North Bengal
Development Affairs Minister Gautam Deb and former state urban
development minister Asok Bhattacharya rushed to the hospital.
statesman news service
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