Indian youth in Singapore gets nearly 3 years in prison; pushed friend into river during drunken altercation, pleads guilty

Indian origin student Legha Pawan, was sentenced to 35 months in prison in Singapore on Wednesday for causing the death of a fellow Indian national by pushing him into a river while intoxicated.

The 22 year old pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Jasbir Singh, a 33-year-old construction worker, on the night of June 30 last year. Singh, who was married with two young children in India, was the sole breadwinner for his family.

According to a report by Channel News Asia cited by PTI, the original charge of causing death by a rash act was reduced, and another charge was taken into consideration.

The court heard that both men had been drinking on the night of the incident, which occurred at Clarke Quay, a popular riverside area in Singapore. After Singh was pushed into the river, a nearby couple raised the alarm. Rescue divers found his body a few hours later.

Pawan fled the scene and attempted to avoid arrest, but he was caught the following morning.

Deputy public prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin said Pawan knew Singh was intoxicated and that it was “reasonably foreseeable” the push would cause serious harm. She also noted that Pawan left without helping the victim.

The defence lawyer argued that no weapon was involved and described the act as “a generic push” without targeting any vulnerable part of the body, reported PTI.

For voluntarily causing hurt resulting in grievous harm, Pawan could have faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to SGD 10,000, or both.