• Legha Pawan sentenced to 35 months for causing death by pushing victim into Singapore River.
• The charge was downgraded from causing death by a rash act after a guilty plea.
• Victim, Jasbir Singh, was a construction worker and father of two from India.
• Pawan fled the scene and attempted to evade arrest after the incident.
• The case highlights issues of public safety and accountability in intoxicated altercations.

A Singapore court has sentenced Legha Pawan, a 22-year-old Indian national, to 35 months in prison for pushing Jasbir Singh, a 33-year-old construction worker, into the Singapore River, where he drowned. Pawan pleaded guilty to a charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, with the charge previously being downgraded from causing death by a rash act. A second charge was also taken into consideration during sentencing, according to Channel News Asia and South China Morning Post.

The incident occurred on June 30, 2023, when Pawan and his friends were drinking at Clarke Quay, a popular area in Singapore. Pawan had consumed alcohol when he approached Singh, who was already inebriated and standing near the riverbank. After an unprovoked attack, he pushed Singh, who subsequently fell into the river and did not resurface. Rescue efforts were launched, and Singh's body was found later that night. A toxicology report indicated a high level of intoxication in Singh's system, according to India Times and Channel News Asia.

Following the incident, Pawan attempted to evade police by removing his shirt and taking a train home. He called a fellow housemate to meet him elsewhere with his backpack to further distance himself from the scene of the crime. He was arrested the next morning, with authorities citing that Pawan was aware of Singh's intoxicated state. The prosecution argued that it was "reasonably foreseeable" that the push would result in grievous harm or death, as emphasized by Deputy Public Prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin, reports India Times and South China Morning Post.

The defense argued that there was no weapon involved and characterized the act as a "generic push" that was not aimed at causing severe injury. Nevertheless, the serious nature of the incident and Pawan's decision to flee the scene were taken into account during sentencing, highlighting concerns around accountability in similar circumstances, according to Channel News Asia and South China Morning Post.