At least 14 school children were injured on Monday (January 19, 2026) after a swing they were sitting on collapsed at a fair in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua town, officials said. Two girls received serious injuries, they added.
According to officials, the incident took place around 4 p.m. at ‘Maharaj No Melo (Maharaj’s Fair)’ near a Government School of Excellence – Sandipani Vidyalaya in which 13 girls and one boy sustained injuries. All the children are students of the school, which is located right opposite the fair ground.
A video of the incident has gone viral showing a group of visitors on a dragon-faced swing going up and down at fast pace. The swing can be seen suddenly collapsing along with the large metal frame it was hanging on.
Collector meets injured children
Jhabua Collector Neha Meena said all the injured are being treated at the district hospital and a magisterial investigation committee has been formed to probe the incident. “Our entire focus is on the health of the children so that they can recover quickly and return home. Administrative and legal processes will be conducted simultaneously,” Ms. Meena said, after meeting with the children at the hospital.
Ms. Meena also issued instructions for proper treatment for the injured.
In a statement, the Collector’s office said: “Considering the seriousness of the accident, the Collector has immediately issued orders to constitute a magisterial probe panel. The panel includes the Additional Collector, Additional Superintendent of Police, Executive Engineer Public Works Department, Executive Engineer Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board, and Project Officer Urban Development Agency. This team will conduct a detailed investigation into the causes of the incident and submit a report.”
“Strict punitive action will be taken against anyone found guilty in this accident,” it said.
CCTV footage retrieved: police
Jhabua Additional Superintendent of Police Pratipal Singh Mahobiya, who is part of the probe panel, told The Hindu that CCTV camera DVRs have been seized from the fair premises and the main organiser of the fair is being questioned.
“Any legal action will be initiated based on preliminary findings. It’s an annual fair and receives heavy crowd. All necessary permissions were taken by the organisers but we will investigate if there was any negligence in the operation,” he said.
Published – January 19, 2026 10:59 pm IST
