Bengaluru Residents Stage Angry Protest Following Toddler's Tragic Death on Damaged Road
In a heart-wrenching incident that has sparked community outrage, residents of Bengaluru's KR Pura area staged a forceful protest on Monday, demanding the immediate completion of repair work on the Maragondanahalli-Kittaganur main road. This urgent call to action comes after a two-year-old boy, H Trishan, lost his life in a tragic accident on Sunday evening, with locals blaming the road's perilous condition for the catastrophe.
Details of the Fatal Accident
The accident occurred near Kashappa Circle when a car, allegedly driven rashly, rear-ended a stationary two-wheeler. The impact threw the riders onto the road. While two individuals fell to the left side, young Trishan fell to the right and tragically came under the wheels of the car. The child was rushed to a nearby private hospital on Bhattarahalli main road but succumbed to his severe injuries.
Investigating officers revealed that the boy's parents, Harish and his wife, were in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, to celebrate Shivaratri. Harish, a mechanical engineer from Venkatakala in Yelahanka working at a private company, had left Trishan in the care of his aunt, Vijayalakshmi, at her KR Pura residence. Vijayalakshmi and her son Badrinath decided to visit a temple at Maragondanahalli, taking Trishan with them on their two-wheeler. Owing to traffic congestion, they were waiting near a supermarket when the devastating collision took place.
Community Outcry and Official Response
The boy's parents flew back to the city on Monday, after which police shifted the body for an autopsy. Authorities have registered a case against the car driver, identified as Krishna Mohan Menon, a resident of an apartment at Bandapura village on Old Madras Road.
Blaming the severely deteriorated state of the main road, which is currently under repair, hundreds of local residents and daily commuters gathered at the accident spot on Monday morning to stage a vocal protest. Police intervened promptly, assuring the agitated crowd that they would bring the matter to the attention of the concerned authorities.
Underlying Issues: Garbage Trucks and Road Maintenance
Ashok S, president of Kannur gram panchayat, strongly alleged that the roads in the area have transformed into "death traps" due to the constant movement of GBA garbage trucks. "Over 500 trucks ply daily to dump the city's waste in landfills located near the Kannur and Kithaganur gram panchayats," Ashok stated. "Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) and GBA have failed to provide special funds to develop and maintain the roads near these landfill sites. The relentless movement of these heavy vehicles has critically worsened road conditions in the area, directly leading to accidents. We have decided to stop garbage trucks from dumping waste in the landfills until this is addressed."
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, East) Sahil Bagla commented on the situation, stating, "How much the road condition contributed to the accident will be discovered during the course of our detailed investigation." This statement underscores the ongoing probe into the multifaceted causes behind this tragic event.
The protest and subsequent statements highlight a critical urban infrastructure issue in Bengaluru, where inadequate maintenance and heavy commercial traffic are creating hazardous conditions for residents. The community's demand for immediate road repairs and better management of waste transportation routes has gained urgent momentum following this preventable loss of a young life.
