Kidderpore: A five-year-old girl fractured her skull after being flung off an electronically operated pendulum swing boat at a funfair as her mother watched in horror the little girl falling to the ground from a height of around 20 feet.
Samriddhi Mishra, who suffered the injury at the Bhukailash fair ground in Kidderpore, underwent brain surgery at CMRI on Saturday and was in a critical condition till late in the evening. "She was unconscious when brought in....The next 72 hours are crucial," said an official at CMRI.
Police said Samriddhi, the third of four daughters of Rajendra and Bindu Mishra, possibly lost her grip on the side handle of her seat and was thrown off during the forward momentum of the swing boat.
The dragon-headed boat, a crude version of the Pirate Ship that most amusement parks have, did not appear to have any safety mechanism to arrest a fall except the shoulder rest of the seat in front to hold on to. In sitting position, a child of Samriddhi's age would not be able to touch the rod, let alone grab it.
Based on a complaint lodged by Samriddhi's maternal uncle Vishnu Mishra, a criminal case has been started against Merun Das, the proprietor of Ms MKD Enterprise, and Bishu Das, an employee operating the swing boat.
The duo have been charged under Section 338 of the Indian Penal Code for "causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others". If convicted, they can be imprisoned for a maximum of two years.
Both accused have been interrogated, the police said.
"All six electrical joyrides have been closed after the incident as a precautionary measure," Waquar Raza, the deputy commissioner of police (port), told Metro.
Samriddhi's family lives in Tiljala. She was visiting her maternal uncle's house near the Bhukailash fairground when her mother decided to take the kids out for the evening. Her uncle Vishnu said his daughter and all four nieces were on the swing boat on Friday evening when the accident occurred. Bindu was standing outside the barricade.
A young man running an airgun shooting stall near the swing boat said he heard people screaming and ran out to find a girl sprawled on the iron structure below. "She was bleeding from the head."
Samriddhi was seated to the right of the second to last row, the youth said quoting witnesses. This could not be confirmed because Samriddhi's mother was too traumatised to speak.
Some residents of the neighbourhood lifted the girl and helped take her to CMRI.
The fairground off Bhukailash Road has been hosting a 14-day fair around this time of the year for several decades. The fair is inaugurated on Shivratri evening and ends a couple of days before Holi. "This is the first time an accident like this has happened," said a woman running a jalebi stall.
