A 21-year-old Indian national, Legha Pawan, was charged with causing death by rash act on Jul. 2 after he allegedly pushed a 33-year-old man on the chest at the riverside along Singapore River in front of Merchant Court and Clarke Quay Central Mall at about 10:15pm on Jun. 30.

As a result, the 33-year-old man allegedly fell backwards, hit the back of his head on the edge of the steps leading to the river, and fell into the river.

The 33-year-old eventually died due to "drowning", according to the accused's charge sheet seen by Mothership.

The charge sheet did not disclose what happened before the accused allegedly pushed the victim.

Lianhe Zaobao reported the two men supposedly got caught up in a dispute before the incident took place.

SCDF divers retrieved body from Singapore River

The Singapore Police Force said they received a call for assistance regarding the victim, who had fallen into the waters of the Singapore River, on Jun. 30 at 10:15pm.

Around the same time, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also received a call for water rescue assistance.

As there were no signs of the victim upon SCDF's arrival, divers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) were deployed to perform an underwater search.

The divers subsequently retrieved the victim's body 3m from shore, at a depth of about 3m.

The police subsequently arrested the accused on Jul. 1 through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras and CCTVs.

If convicted, the accused could have been jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.

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