The Kolkata Police's half marathon, organszed to promote the "Safe Drive, Save Life" campaign, took a distressing turn as a pylon collapse during the race left Kolkata Police Additional Commissioner of Police (One) Muralidhar Sharma injured along with a female contestant. The incident occurred on Red Road during the 5 km fun run segment at 8:30 am on Sunday.
The race, which witnessed participation from around 25 thousand contestants, saw the sudden collapse of an archway due to gusty winds. The shocking moment was captured on camera. Commissioner Vineet Goyal, State Police DG Rajeev Kumar, and several other senior police officers were present at the event.
Muralidhar Sharma sustained injuries to his head, neck, and waist and was promptly admitted to the Institute of Neuro Sciences in Mallikbazar. However, Commissioner Vineet Goyal assured the public that everyone else involved in the event was in good health.
The Kolkata Police Half Marathon featured three categories - a 21 km fun run at 5:30 am, a 10 km run at 6 am, and a 5 km fun run at 8:30 am. Notably, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee participated in the 10 km race. The initial segments of the marathon concluded smoothly, but the incident occurred within minutes of the start of the 5 km fun run.
