Bangalore, July 29, 2013: Wooden plank falls on motorcyclist; police claim victim was BMRCL worker
Less than 24 hours after a Metro worker was crushed under a three-tonne support beam on Nelamangala Road, a two-wheeler rider had a narrow escape when a wooden plank fell on him at the same site on Monday morning.
The rider, identified as Sridhar, reportedly suffered injuries on his shoulder and legs. He was treated as an outpatient at a nearby private hospital.
The incident took place at around 10.45 am when Sridhar was riding towards Yeshwantpur. An eyewitness, Arjun, told Deccan Herald that he was on the bike behind Sridhar when the accident occurred.
“Once the green light flashed at the traffic junction, Sridhar and I moved forward,” he said and added that he noticed something heavy falling. He later described it as a big wooden plank with a metal frame. “It fell on Sridhar’s shoulder and he fell off the bike,” Arjun said. Sridhar’s bike was also damaged in the incident and eyewitnesses said he would have been killed had he been riding slowly.
The incident triggered a flash protest by a large number of local residents who gathered at the spot and blocked the road, disrupting traffic.
Protesters raised slogans against senior officials of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for failing to take required safety measures.
The situation turned tense as several activists from the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike appeared on the scene, demanding that work on the Metro be halted immediately. A few protesters rushed Sridhar to a nearby hospital. He was discharged after being treated as an outpatient.
According to sources, Sridhar was not willing to lodge any complaint.
BMRCL response
A team of officials from the BMRCL rushed to the spot soon after the accident. However, they quickly vanished after spotting miscreants with stones in their hands. Sources said that the officials later returned with police who pacified the mob.
Police promised the protesters that action would be taken against the workers responsible for the accident. Senior BMRCL officials also promised to strengthen safety measures at the work site.
The incident adversely affected vehicular movement, forcing traffic police to monitor the traffic. Work at the Metro site resumed after some time, police said.
Contradicting account
Yeshwantpur police, however, said that the injured man, Sridhar, is actually a BMRCL worker.
“Actually, small stones fell on him, but not a wooden plank,” a police inspector said, speaking to Deccan Herald. “Other workers rushed him to a nearby hospital as he had sustained injuries on his lips. After a proper verification, we were informed that some miscreants had thrown a wooden plank and tried to create a nuisance.”
He added that no case was registered as no one hadlodged a complaint.
