'How was this even allowed?': Internet erupts after joyride collapse at Faridabad festival kills inspector

Several people were injured after a swing collapsed at the Surajkund mela

A festive evening at the Surajkund International Craft Festival in Haryana’s Faridabad ended in tragedy after a high-speed joyride collapsed with visitors still on board, leaving a police inspector dead and at least a dozen people injured.

The incident occurred on Saturday between 6 pm and 6.30 pm, when the swing, packed with riders suddenly gave way. Disturbing videos of the mishap quickly surfaced online, capturing the terrifying moments before one side of the ride’s supporting structure buckled, causing the entire setup to tilt violently and crash to the ground.

Footage shot by bystanders showed the ride spinning rapidly when a pillar appears to fail mid-operation. Within seconds, the structure collapsed, throwing riders into chaos as screams erupted from the crowd gathered below.

Joyride collapsed at the Surajkund Mela, Faridabad. Two killed, twelve injured. Another reminder to never, ever do adventure rides or sports in India. Here, most adventure rides are temporarily assembled, poorly audited, and run on jugaad, not engineering. Safety checks are… pic.twitter.com/FbI6sagC0F

— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) February 7, 2026

According to multiple reports, inspector Jagdish Prasad, who had been deployed for security at the fair died in the incident. He was assisting with rescue efforts when debris from the fallen structure struck him on the head, causing critical injuries. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed during treatment.

The Surajkund festival is widely regarded as one of India’s largest celebrations of culture and handicrafts, drawing lakhs of visitors from across the country and abroad each year.

As videos of the crash spread rapidly on social media, public anger followed. Many users questioned how such rides are permitted without rigorous safety audits. “How are these rides allowed to operate without proper safety checks in the first place?” one user asked.

Another post, widely shared online, criticised the systemic neglect around temporary amusement rides in India. The user wrote that most such attractions are assembled with minimal expert oversight, with safety inspections reduced to paperwork formalities. The comment called for mandatory audits by qualified engineers, publicly available inspection reports, and clearly defined accountability across departments, warning that without transparency and strict responsibility fixed before accidents, not after deaths, such tragedies would continue to claim innocent lives.