When 10-year-old Saathvik Selva embarked on what was supposed to be an enjoyable school trip organised by a Bengaluru-based private school, little did his family know about the ordeal that they would have to endure. The excursion to Kaadgal Resort situated on the outskirts of Bengaluru at Kanakapura Road resulted in a harrowing incident for the fifth grader. On March 21, Saathvik fell to the ground from a zipline at a height of nearly 30 feet.
Saathvik survived the fall, which his father, Selva Rangasamy K, calls no less than a miracle. “It is a miracle that it was not fatal. He had a lung contusion and four fractures. One of them is between the spine and the pelvic bone,” Selva, a 39-year-old IT professional, told TNM.
Despite a major surgery, Saathvik’s road to recovery is far from easy. The pelvic bone fracture has left him with a noticeable height difference between his legs and could potentially suffer from lifelong stability issues and chronic pain. Even after weeks since the surgery, Saathvik cannot walk. He also has to be monitored for growth abnormalities for the next six years.
The family has alleged negligence on the part of Kaadgal Resort. “First, there was no safety net in place to prevent falls from the zipline. The activity even lacked proper safety harnesses or other safety measures in case anything broke. My son’s friend who stood next in line for the zipline told us that extra weight was added to increase the zipline's speed. The pulley broke and he fell down to solid ground and rock. Most probably because the pulley did not support the extra weight and child’s weight,” Selva said.
He further added that there was no immediate response from the resort owners even once. One of the owners reached out to the family on May 13. “There was not a single call from Mr Arunesh, owner of the resort, asking about Saathvik's well-being after this near fatal incident or any promises of support for my child's future health care. As parents, we are not able to sleep as we relive the horror and worry about my child’s future,” Selva said.
TNM reached out to one of the owners of Kaadgal resort, TA Arunesh, who said, “It was an accident but it was our mistake, which we accept and take full responsibility for. Our team has been in constant touch with the parents since the accident. We will be extending our full support to Saathvik’s family, we have also helped the family with the child’s medical bills and we take the responsibility of extending them our support even in the future.”
Based on a complaint by the school Saathvik’s studying in, an FIR has been registered against the resort with the Ramanagara police. Several calls made to the Ramanagara SP and DSP Channapatna went unanswered.