Man slips from wooden bridge in Seraj, dies

In a heart-breaking incident highlighting dire infrastructure issues in the Seraj assembly constituency of Mandi district, a man lost his life after falling from a makeshift wooden bridge into a swollen stream near Bhawnas village. The deceased, identified as Puran Chand of Bhawnas, was returning home from Jarol last evening when the tragedy occurred.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident took place in the Halen area, on an old and fragile wooden footbridge spanning a river that swells dangerously during the monsoon. As Puran Chand attempted to cross the temporary structure, he slipped and was swept away by the strong water current. Despite the efforts of local residents, who managed to pull him from the water after he had drifted nearly 100 meters downstream, he was declared dead on arrival at the Janjehli hospital.

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur stated that this is not an isolated incident of this kind. In the past one and a half months alone, three to four similar tragedies have occurred in the region, pointing to the grave negligence on the part of the authorities in ensuring safe passage over rivers and streams, especially during the monsoon season.

Thakur expressed his condolences, calling the death of Puran Chand “deeply saddening and painful,” and urged the government to take immediate and long-term steps to prevent such incidents in future.

Locals, in the meantime, have demanded pucca bridges and proper infrastructure, warning that more lives could be lost if no timely action is taken.