Father, Son Pushed Off Roof While Flying Kite; Neighbor Arrested

KEY POINTS

The father, 45, and his son, 19, were pushed off the terrace of a three-story building over a disagreement about flying kites
They suffered severe injuries but survived the fall
The 23-year-old neighbor was later arrested

A 23-year-old man in the Indian state of West Bengal was arrested after he pushed a father and son off the terrace of a three-story building last week over a disagreement regarding kite flying.

The man, identified as Ajit Rajbanshi, pushed 45-year-old Sukhdeb Halder and his 19-year-old son, Sushanta, as the two were flying kites on the terrace of their Vishwakarma Puja apartment in the city of Baranagar, newspaper The Times of India reported.

"A drunk Rajbanshi went up to the terrace and started creating trouble. A scuffle broke out when Sukhdeb and Sushanta refused to allow him to stay on the terrace," Raja Dey, a local, was quoted as saying by the outlet.

"Rajbanshi pushed Sukhdeb off the [building], and as Sushanta rushed to his father's rescue, the drunken youth pushed him as well," Dey added.

Halder and his son reportedly survived the fall as they landed on a tiled shed of an adjoining house. The two, however, still suffered serious injuries.

Rajbanshi was later arrested under Section 308 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

A similar incident happened in Hertfordshire, England, over five years ago when a man under the influence of alcohol and drugs pushed his girlfriend off the fourth floor of a building during a fight.

Then-21-year-old Danielle Hammond survived the 45-foot fall in early 2016 as she landed in a bush. She did, however, suffer major injuries — such as a fractured skull, bruises in the brain and damaged internal organs — which crippled her for life.

Hammond's boyfriend, John McAleer, then 24, was high on alcohol, cannabis and cocaine when he pushed Hammond over the balcony railing she was leaning against.

The couple was drinking at a friend's place when they got into a fight. They later moved to the balcony after they were left alone in a room to sort out the matter.

McAleer, unable to contain his anger, pushed Hammond from the fourth floor of the building, according to a witness. He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison over the incident.

Hammond was no longer able to take care of her daughter, who was aged 5 when the incident occurred, as her arms and legs did not work properly anymore.