Victim’s baby cousin pulled out minutes before toy train mishap at Elante Mall

Amit Sharma

Chandigarh, June 24

While 11-year-old Sehbaaj Singh lost his life, his five-month-old cousin, Navraj Singh, narrowly escaped the tragedy as his family removed him from the toy train after a few rounds due to safety concerns.

No seatbelts, window grills

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Pointing out several safety shortcomings, Jatinder said there were no seatbelts and window grills on the toy train. “We demand stern action be taken against the operator and mall management for failing to ensure the safety of children taking the amusement ride,” he said.

Speaking to The Tribune, Sehbaaj’s uncle Jatinder Pal Singh said Sehbaaj along with his cousins Saaz Mann (5) and Navraj were taking a ride on the toy train.

Navraj was sitting on Sehbaaj’s lap. The family decided to remove the toddler from the train, moments before it overturned. “After the second round, we decided to pull Navraj out of the train, while both his cousins continued the ride,” he said.

Jatinder, who is also the complainant in the case, described how he rushed to rescue Sehbaaj and Saaz as soon as the train overturned allegedly due to the negligence on part of the toy train driver, Sourav.

While Saaz escaped unhurt, Sehbaaj suffered a severe head injury. “I took Sehbaaj to the hospital in my own car as there was no ambulance available there,” he added.

Pointing out several safety shortcomings, Jatinder said there were no seatbelts and window grills on the toy train. “We demand stern action be taken against the operator and mall management for failing to ensure the safety of children taking the amusement ride,” he said. Sehbaaj was cremated today at his native village in Jalandhar district.