TikTok stunts on flooded rivers keep cops on toes
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, August 2
A slew of stunt videos on mobile app TikTok where young men and women jump off bridges into flooded rivers in various parts of Maharashtra has sparked off an alert.
On Friday, several videos featuring young men and women jumping off bridges across swollen rivers have gone viral on social media. According to police officials, the videos are of people jumping off bridges in Sangli in Western Maharashtra and Palghar on the outskirts of Mumbai. “We are trying to locate the people who performed the stunts and take action against them,” an official from the state police department said.
One of the recent videos which went viral today showed some youths and a girl jumping off a bridge across the swollen Krishna in Sangli district. In one video the girl was seen jumping off in slow motion with music playing in the background. Another video featured several youth jumping into the river one after the other while being cheered by spectators.
Police sources say cases can be file against everyone participating in the making of the video and even the cheering spectators.
The fate of the young people performing the stunts is still not known. However, police said they have not received any missing persons report following the stunts.
The short videos which are about 15 seconds have become a craze among youths looking for instant fame. Reports say that the stunt has been replicated in various parts of the country with tragic consequences.
Deluge brings crocodiles to Vadodara streets
7 captured
Seven mid-sized crocodiles, which swam into Vadodara city as the Vishwamitri river overflowed, have been captured by Forest Department’s teams from areas such as Raj Mahal Road and Fatehgunj which are on the riverbank. Three crocodiles were captured on Thursday and four on Friday.
5,700 shifted
Over 5,700 people were evacuated from Vadodara city and surrounding areas following heavy rains that led to flooding. Six persons, including four labourers, have been killed in Vadodara till now in rain-related incidents, officials said. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, in a tweet, said PM Narendra Modi assured help from the Centre.
