Stuntman dies while crossing Teesta with his pony tail

IANS, Agencies, Siliguri, 28 April 2013 : A stuntman who held the Guinness World Record for covering the longest distance on a zip wire hanging by a tuft of his hair met a tragic end in West Bengal Sunday while trying to cross the Teesta river, police said. 

Home Guard Sailendra Nath Roy, 49, had tied a tuft of his hair to a 600-foot long zip wire about 70 feet above the river’s water level in an attempt to create a new world record in Siliguri in Darjeeling district. 

After completing about 40 percent of the crossing, which started from a point close to the Sevak Coronation Bridge, he got stuck to the wire and was unable to move. He died while struggling to free himself as helpless spectators looked on. 

The spectators, who had gathered to see the stunt, initially

Photo: Ajay Sha

cheered him on when he got stuck, but screamed when they saw Roy making desperate but futile attempts to free himself and move forward. A little later he became motionless but remained hanging for about 45 minutes before being brought down, police said. 

Roy was rushed to hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. The doctors said he died due to a cardiac arrest. Siliguri Police Commissioner K. Jayaraman said Roy was a home guard who was on leave Sunday. 

“We are conducting a post-mortem examination to ascertain how he died,” Jayaraman said. 

Roy had achieved the Guinness World Record for covering the farthest distance – 82.5 metres – on a zip wire using a tuft of his hair March 1, 2011, at Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan. 

Last year, he earned kudos by dragging a 40-tonne train along a track using his pony tail. He used a chain tied to his hair to pull the engine and four coaches of the heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway – also called the toy train – up to a distance of 8.2 feet.

The farthest distance travelled on a zip wire using hair is 82.50 m (270 ft 8.02 in) and was achieved by Sailendra Nath Roy (India) on the set of Guinness World Records - Ab India Todega at Neemrana Fort Palace, Neemrana, Rajasthan, India, on 1 March 2011. 

Saliendra zip lined the entire 82.5 m attached to the zip wire only by his hair, which he tied in a looped ponytail. He wore a safety harness which did not support any of his weight, for safety reasons. The record attempt took place at the Neemrana Fort, which is one of India's oldest heritage resorts (1464 AD) and is home to India's first aerial zip-line. 

Soudhriti Bhabani,MAIL TODAY, Kolkata, April 28, 2013 : A West Bengal Police home guard, who tried to cross a 1,400 metre wide stretch on Teesta River in Darjeeling district by hanging with the help of his pony tail, succumbed to death during a spectacular act on Sunday. 

Sailendra Nath Roy, 50, attempted to cross the stretch with his pony tail by hanging from a rope that tied both the points of Sevoke Mountains. The act was performed more than 3,000 metres above the sea level. 

Roy performed the stunt near the historical coronation bridge with more than 1,000-odd spectators gathered on the Sevoke Coronation Bridge to witness the brave attempt. Built in 1930, Sevoke Coronation Bridge over the river Teesta is an important bridge of the north-east. This unique construction is a memento of British excellence in design and architecture. 

The bridge is located near Sevokeswari Kali Mandir, about 20-km far from Siliguri town, between two points Salugara and Kalijhora. 

While crossing the stretch, his pony tail got stuck with the wheeler at a point on the rope. After making frantic efforts for almost 25 minutes, the state police home guard lost his pulse and succumbed to a cardiac attack. 

He crossed almost 40 percent of the total distance. That time only a Red Cross ambulance was present there at the site. When he was taken to the nearest hospital, Ray was declared brought dead.

The incident was horrific as people continued to clap giving a round of applause to Ray's attempts without even understanding his helplessness when his pony tail got stuck in the wheeler on the rope. 

Roy held several Guinness world records for pulling vehicles with his pony tail. He had pulled a 42-tons toy train for 2.5 meters with his pony tail in September last year. "They did not have the required permission for the stunt," said Siliguri police commissioner K Jairaman. He also said that Ray was not on duty. "He was on a holiday while performing it," he added.