Bengaluru, April 17 An FIR has been lodged against three persons in connection with the tragic incident at the Yelahanka Kogilu Junction in Bengaluru in which an autorickshaw driver lost his life after a Metro girder viaduct fell.
On Wednesday, the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) regretted the incident and promised to initiate all necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
The Yelahanka Traffic Police have registered the FIR against the truck driver, the NCC Company Manager and the concerned contractor.
The police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Snahita (BNS) Sections 281 (dangerous driving) and 106 (causing death by negligence) on the complaint of deceased Kasim Saab's father-in-law, Syed Khader.
The investigations revealed that Saab had purchased a new auto 20 days ago after taking a loan from a private finance company.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, in which a long carrier truck transporting a girder from the Wadiyarpura casting yard was involved.
As the truck was taking a turn, the girder support system failed, and the massive concrete structure fell onto an autorickshaw, resulting in the death of Saab.
The accident took place while Saab, a resident of Hegde Nagar, was ferrying a passenger towards Nagawara.
The autorickshaw driver, who was trapped beneath, was pulled out using a crane and rushed to the hospital. However, he was declared dead.
BMRCL expresses "deep regret" over this untimely loss of life and conveys heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
As per protocol, compensation will be provided to the deceased's family, the BMRCL's statement said.
The girder viaduct -- a massive concrete structure -- was being transported on an 18-wheeler truck for the airport Metro line. While taking a turn at Kogilu Cross, the truck's trailer detached from the cabin, splitting into two, causing the girder to fall onto the road, the police said.
Tragically, the girder landed on the autorickshaw.
The police said preliminary information indicates that the passenger in the autorickshaw had just alighted moments before the accident.
However, Saab was still in the vehicle and was crushed under the falling structure. The autorickshaw was also completely mangled.
Soon after the incident, bystanders and residents rushed to help the victim. Police also reached the spot, but a crane was required to lift the massive viaduct.
Some of the residents, angered by the delay in the arrival of the crane, resorted to stone pelting, sources said.
The police eventually brought the situation under control, and once the crane arrived, the girder was moved, and Saab's body was recovered.
Residents expressed outrage at the BMRCL, blaming its officials for negligence.
In a similar incident on January 10, 2023, a woman techie and her child (a toddler) were killed in HBR Layout in Bengaluru after an under-construction Metro pier buckled and fell on four members of a family travelling on a motorcycle.
The Bengaluru Police had charged 10 people, including representatives of Nagarjuna Constructions Company (NCC) and four officials of the BMRCL, over the incident.
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