'I won't take the body until...': Father of woman killed in Bengaluru Metro pillar collapse

New Delhi: A woman and her half-a-year-old son were killed after an under-construction pillar of the "Namma Metro" (Bengaluru Metro) collapsed on Tuesday (January 10, 2023). The incident took place on Outer Ring Road near HBR Layout in Bengaluru when the TMT bars erected for the construction of a pillar fell on their scooter. The height of the pillar is said to be over 40 feet and weighs several tonnes. The duo was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital by the bystanders, but the woman and her toddler succumbed to their injuries. The woman's husband and another child, who were injured, are doing fine.

"Both suffered head injuries, we tried our best to save them. There was a lot of blood loss already and also a fall in blood pressure," doctors who treated them said. 

Karnataka | Two people dead in under-construction Metro pillar collapse near Nagavara on the outer ring road in Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/zvRB2sbG0Z — ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2023

Meanwhile, Madan Kumar, the father of the deceased, demanded the cancellation of the construction work and said that he would not take her body till the contract is not cancelled.

"Till the contractor's license is not cancelled, I won't take the body. Who gave them permission to build such tall pillars? The tender should be cancelled and the work should be stopped. I will see what is to be done in court," Kumar said.

Take precautions to avert any such occurrence in future: Husband of woman killed in Bengaluru mishap tells govt

Lohit, the husband of the woman who died in the incident, asked the government to take safety measures and precautions to avert any such occurrence in the future.

"What should I tell the government, I have lost everything. The government should only ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. All the safety and precautions should be taken so that others do not have to face this situation," he said.

Narrating the ordeal of the incident, he said, "We were travelling in a two-wheeler. I was supposed to drop them to a concerned place and then leave from there. But this incident happened within a fraction of a second. As I looked back, my wife and kid had fallen."

Basavaraj Bommai govt announces compensation to family of woman killed in Bengaluru Metro pillar collapse

The Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka government and Namma Metro have announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the affected family.

Addressing reporters in Dharwad, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai assured an inquiry into the incident and announced compensation to the bereaved.

"I just got to know about it, we will get it investigated... We will ascertain the reason for the collapse of the pillar and provide compensation," he said.

He called the incident "unfortunate" and said an inquiry will be done and a case will be registered against those responsible.

ಮೃತರ ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ ಬಿಎಂಆರ್ಸಿಎಲ್ ₹20 ಲಕ್ಷ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಘೋಷಿಸಿದ್ದು, ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಪರಿಹಾರ ನಿಧಿಯಿಂದ ₹10 ಲಕ್ಷ ಪರಿಹಾರ ನೀಡಲಾಗುವುದು.
2/2 — Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) January 10, 2023

Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) Managing Director Anjum Parvez, who visited the spot, described the incident as unfortunate. 

"According to a report by our engineer all the safety measures were taken as per the standard protocol, but still the incident has happened, so we will have to do the fact finding. Whether there was any manual negligence or technical problem we will get to know from the report. If there was any manual negligence action will certainly be taken against those responsible," he said, adding that Rs 20 lakh compensation will be given to the family by the Metro rail administration.

(With agency inputs)