Two children died after a wall collapsed on them around 3:15 am on Saturday, due to heavy rain. The deceased have been identified as Manoj Kumar (14) who studied in class 9 and Tanoj Kumar (12), a class 7 student, studying at KRL Primary and High School, Domlur.
Police said the children were trapped under the debris of the wall that fell on them due to pressure from the loose soil at the defence land (ASC Centre) in Domlur. The children’s mother Nagarathna, who was sleeping below the cot, was rescued with the help of Fire Department personnel and was admitted to Bowring Hospital, where she is being treated for injuries. Her husband Ramchandrappa, a security guard, was away when the incident occurred.
There was construction going on at the defence land. A huge wall measuring more than 12 feet was being built, and the low-lying areas were getting affected due to its construction.
The incident triggered anger among the people who protested following which District Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Mayor B S Sathyanarayana and local MLA N A Harris visited the spot.
Kids gherao reddy
School children from KRL demanded an explanation from Minister Ramalinga Reddy on the issue, “we want an answer from the Minister and also action against the military personnel who have been harassing people living here,” said S Divya, a student of KRLS School.
A resident said that the defence personnel never allowed them to do any renovation to their houses. “From 40 years, the same atrocity is going on. There is already one fence, and recently they started constructing a new wall, which is more than 15 feet high. The wall collapsed due to this huge fence and the rain water got accumulated, impacting directly on houses in A K Colony,” said Gurushankar.
“We had issued a notice to the military to stop construction work, but they still went ahead with it. That is why a house collapsed and killed two innocent boys. A criminal case has been booked in this regard,” said local MLA N A Harris as he was visiting the area.
Relief for kin
District Minister R Ramalinga Reddy announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each from the government, and said that there were allegations that defence people in Bangalore were harassing civilians. “I have asked the BBMP Commissioner to issue a notice and call for a meeting between civic officials and defence people to resolve the standoff,” he said.
The Mayor said that the corporation will announce compensation of Rs 1 lakh and build houses for 37 families living in A K Colony under the 22.7 Housing Scheme.