Nagpur teacher falls into gorge at Pachmarhi while trying to retrieve bag snatched by monkey

A teacher from Nagpur died after falling into a deep gorge at Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh while trying to retrieve a bag snatched by a monkey. The accident took place on Friday morning (November 6) at Priyadarshini viewpoint.

The deceased is Vijay Naik (40). He lived in Khankhoje Nagar in Nagpur and taught at Somalwar School in Ramdaspeth.

Naik had gone on a Pachmarhi trip with a group of 20 students. While he was taking photographs at the viewpoint, a monkey snatched his bag and ran off. To get the bag back, he climbed over the safety railing. His foot then slipped and he fell into the deep gorge. The accident, which happened in front of the children, caused panic.

Police and a rescue team reached the spot on receiving the news. The terrain was difficult and the gorge deep, which hampered the rescue work. Police had to walk about three kilometres to reach the site. After three and a half hours of effort, the body was brought out on a stretcher at about 9.30 am. Naik's father was also on the trip. After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the family.

The incident has cast a pall of grief over Nagpur. The question of tourist safety at tourist spots has been raised again. Questions are also being asked about the menace of monkeys and the railings at dangerous spots. Regret is being expressed on all sides that an attempt to recover a single bag cost the teacher his life.