KOLKATA: A 41-year-old man had a fatal fall from the terrace of a four-storey building in the Behala-Pathakpara area on Saturday morning when he was playing with his 15-month-old daughter near the parapet of the terrace. According to some witnesses, in a fraction of a second, Subhas Chandra Panda, a railway employee, shoved his daughter towards a tree adjoining their building’s boundary wall to save her, but his lunge forward went against him. Even though he tried to cling onto the edges, he fell to the ground, smashed his head and died instantly.
The child is admitted to SSKM Hospital in a critical condition. “She has serious injuries on her hand and other parts of the body,” said an officer from the Parnasree police station.
According to Subhas’s wife, Upasana, and other neighbours, the father and daughter had gone up to the terrace to play with a plastic ball. “Their 12-year-old son is also usually around. The father and daughter used to spend a lot of time together on the terrace, especially during the lockdown. Like usual, as Subhas had a holiday on Saturday, he went up to the terrace with the daughter, his pet, around 11.30am. At that time, Upasana had gone to a neighbour’s place,” said Kanchana Hazra, a neighbour.
Shortly, around 11.35am, neighbours heard a loud thud and rushed out to see Subhas lying bloodspattered in the narrow common passage adjoining the wall. The child could not be found anywhere, either beside him nor on the terrace. After a search, the neighbours found the child in the adjoining premises. “It looked like her fall was broken by a tree on the other side of the wall,” said a police officer, adding she fell from a height of no less than 40 feet. “In all likelihood, the child had slipped after stepping on the football close to the parapet.”
“”The male victim was found lying on his back on the concrete ground, with serious head injuries and with no sign of life. The child, who was found on the adjacent premises, about 3 ft from her father, has serious injuries on her hand. The child was sent to Vidyasagar hospital and then, shifted to SSKM. The father, too, was taken to Vidyasagar hospital,” said DC (Behala) Syed Waquar Reza. “A plastic ball was found on the terrace. No foul play has been detected and no complaint received.”
Terraces have become a favourite spot for socializing during the pandemic, especially for those who are not stepping out unless absolutely necessary. However, there are certain safety issues that need to be addressed, especially if small children are using them. Locals said they had warned Subhas earlier about playing with the child on the terrace, given the low height of the parapet.