Several political parties, social groups and NGOs protested outside the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) head office in Shantinagar on Thursday, January 12 after a mother and son died after an under-construction Metro pillar at Nagavara collapsed on them. Several activists under the banner ‘Namma Karnataka Sene’ entered the BMRCL office in Shantinagar and vandalised the premises. According to Times of India, they raised slogans saying that BMRCL compromised on safety standards. Several groups also submitted a representation to the Managing Director of BMRCL, Anjum Parwez, seeking a CBI probe into the death of the mother and her son.
Members of the Republican Party of India also staged a protest in front of the BMRCL office, demanding strict legal action against errant officials. Members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also staged a protest and made similar demands. On Tuesday, January 10, a woman and her two-year-old son were killed in Bengaluru after a reinforcement pillar along with the scaffolding collapsed at a metro construction site on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) near Nagavara. Tejaswini, her husband Lohit Sulakhe and their twins –Vihan and Vismitha– were travelling on a two wheeler when the beam made of metal rods fell on them. The incident occurred on ORR between Kalyan Nagar and HRBR Layout.
BMRCL announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family. Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru will be probing the incident and safety at construction sites. Meanwhile, an FIR has been filed against Nagarjuna Construction Company that was in charge of the construction at this stretch of the Outer Ring Road.