Helmet missing, weak hook: 2 held in Agra zipline teen death

AGRA: A day after 15-year-old died after falling nearly 45ft from a zipline ride at Agra Chowpati, police arrested the Chowpati manager and the safety in-charge of EOD Adventure Park as fresh details pointed to serious lapses. It included the teenager being allowed on the 120ft-long ride without a helmet and the rope’s calibre hook allegedly breaking barely 10ft into the ride.

The deceased Kunal AgrawalAgrawal, a resident of Firozabad, had come to Agra with his father Pankaj Agrawal, a bangle trader, mother Rinki Agrawal, and younger brother Mayank Agrawal. After visiting Taj Mahal, the family went to Agra Chowpati, an adventure and entertainment venue near the monument, where Kunal decided to take the zipline ride, which was part of a Rs 400 package that also included zip cycle and bull ride activities.

A video shot by Mayank showed Kunal starting the ride without a helmet, police said, while preliminary inquiry suggested that the hook attached to the harness snapped soon after launch. Kunal plunged from a height of nearly 45ft and was rushed to SN Medical College, where doctors declared him dead.

The zipline was being operated by EOD Adventure Park after approval from Agra Development Authority (ADA), and police said investigators were examining the approval process, safety records, ride maintenance documents, staff training details and if mandatory protective gear was provided to visitors. Police commissioner Deepak Kumar directed action, after which a case was filed and the two arrests were made.

Officials said further legal action would depend on technical inspection of the equipment, witness statements and documents related to the ride’s operation. The tragedy came barely a week after an eight-year-old child drowned at a water park in Agra, intensifying concerns over safety oversight at entertainment facilities in the city.

Witnesses said large crowds gathered at Chowpati every evening during summer vacation, and operators allegedly rushed visitors through rides without adequate checks. Residents claimed neither the contractor nor the departments carried out regular inspections of equipment, while angry locals described the attractions as a “death trap in the name of entertainment”.

ADA vice chairman M Arunmozhi said. “An inquiry committee has been set up under the ADA secretary Gajendra Kumar. Action will be based on the inquiry.”