12-yr-old's death en route to paragliding site: Himachal HC steps in

The death of a 12-year-old boy, who was on his way to a paragliding site in Himachal Pradesh, has sparked concern and debate about regulation of adventure sports in the state. Even the high court has now stepped in.

12-year-old Advik had travelled to Himachal with his family in December last year. On December 22, the family from Karnataka's Bengaluru decided to go for paragliding in Bir Billing in Kangra district. Advik's father Rishabh Tripathi, who is an IT professional, reportedly said that they were being taken to the paragliding site in an unsafe and overloaded jeep when tragedy struck. The car hit a two-wheeler and fell into a 15-ft deep gorge. Advik died while his parents suffered severe injuries.

The father has reportedly claimed that the jeep was carrying 9 people, even though it had capacity to seat only 5. He has also reportedly claimed that safety accessories in the car were missing.

Following the tragedy, the Himachal Pradesh High Court took up the matter suo motu. It has reportedly set up a 7-member committee to verify qualifications and licenses of operators, existing safety measures, quality of equipment, etc. The High Court also held authorities responsible for lack of monitoring of adventure sports activities in the state, which leads to accidents.