A three-year-old child, daughter of a Bengaluru police constable, succumbed to her injuries after she accidentally fell into a pile of burning waste while playing with her friends. The incident occurred at Shivaji Nagar police quarters in Bengaluru on March 5. The girl died on March 13 at the city’s Victoria Hospital where she was admitted since then.

The victim has been identified as Harshaali, daughter of Cubbon Park Traffic Police Station constable Lokeshappa.

The matter came to light after the father’s message went viral on police WhatsApp groups on Monday

“What happened to my daughter shouldn’t happen to anyone. The  authorities should take note of the tragedy and initiate appropriate measures,” Lokeshappa told The Times of India. 

On March 5, at around 5pm in the evening, locals had set fire to a mound of withered leaves and branches. While playing with a boy of her age, she fell into the fire. A passerby, Subash came to her help.

“She was wearing nylon clothes, which caught fire. I had just entered the building and as I saw her, she began to run. I poured water from a nearby flower pot on her and removed her clothes,” he told ToI.

In the meanwhile, neighbours called her mother who rushed her to Bowring Hospital. As she had suffered more than 30% burns, she was referred to Victoria Hospital. 

Speaking to The Hindu, a resident said, “Garbage collected here is dumped within the quarters and set on fire every day. There are at least seven spots where garbage collectors set fire to waste. We have complained about it to the maintenance team, but the problem has not been addressed.”

In the wake of viral messages, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar has sought a report. DCP East Rahul Kumar said, “I have visited the spot, and appropriate action will be taken.”