An Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been booked by the Bengaluru Traffic Police as a food delivery executive died in the city after he met with an accident with a truck after he hit a pothole and lost his balance. The victim has been identified as 21-year-old Azeem Ahmed. The Times of India quoted the family of the man, who said that Azeem was on his way to deliver food when the accident occured. They have blamed the civic body for negligence and said that his death was caused due to the pothole.

The accident occurred near Bengaluru’s Thanisandra, when Azeem fell onto the road after he drove into a pothole. A truck which was travelling at a high speed ran over his right hand and leg causing serious injuries. He was rushed to a hospital following the accident. However, doctors said that he later succumbed to his injuries. 

The police have arrested BBMP AEE Savitha and named her as the main accused in the case. She was later released on station bail. A press release by Traffic Police Joint Commissioner Ravikante Gowda said, “It has been found that the victim died because BBMP AEE Savitha ignored and left the potholes unfilled after the road was made. AEE Savitha (34) has been made the main accused based on the Supreme Court rules.”

The truck driver has been named as the second accused in the case and the police have booked him under sections 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way) read with 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others), 283 (Danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation), 304(a) (Causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Indian Motor Vehicles Act.

Additionally, the contractor who took the contract for the road has been named as the third accused. The contractor will be arrested and action will be taken against them, the release stated.

Bengaluru has been plagued with bad roads and potholes, which have worsened after heavy rains lashed the city last month. The police have said that they are identifying potholes and informing various authorities like the BBMP, Public Works Department (PWD) and Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA). A decision was also made to book the officials responsible for the potholes for negligence, in cases of deaths due to accidents as a result.