TVs, but no toilets, at slum where girl drowned
BENGALURU: While several houses in the impoverished locality of Krishnappa Garden boast of solar-powered dish TV connections, not many of the nearly 200 houses here have toilets. The community of migrant labourers from Yadgir, Raichur and other districts of North Karnataka living in the locality use the stormwater drain nearby as their toilet.
While women defecate behind a heap of garbage, men head a little distance away from the houses to answer nature’s calls. “This has been the case ever since we have been here,” says Kavya, one of the neighbours of 18-year-old Narasamma who was washed away in the drain on Sunday morning.
Narasamma and Devamma were relieving themselves at the usual spot when Narasamma slipped and fell. “It had rained the previous night and the drain was full. As soon as she fell, she was washed away,” Devamma said.
Devamma alerted Narasamma’s relatives, who then started searching for her. The body was found around 8am. Hanumantha, Narasamma’s uncle was the one who spotted the body at the end of the drain, from where it flows to Kelagiankere lake. “I stepped into the drain and lifted her body. There was water up to my knees in the drain and she drowned in it,” he said.
Narasamma and her mother Kashibai were the breadwinners of their family of seven. Hailing from a village near Yadgir, Narasamma’s father Venkappa stopped working after he broke his right leg in a mudslide at a construction site. Prior to that, he had damaged an eye, resulting in vision problems. “She was about to get married, my girl,” Venkappa said. He has four other children, three girls and a boy.
As he struggles for words, his wife Kashibai resumes her wails of agony over the tragedy that unfolded right behind her shanty.
Narasamma was engaged to be married
Narasamma (18) who was washed away in a drain at Krishnappa Park, near Bagmane Tech Park, on Sunday morning, was engaged to be married. Her parents, migrant labourers, who were planning the wedding details, are shellshocked. She was washed away when she went to attend nature’s call near the drain and she slipped and fell.
The drain is two to three feet deep but is covered by stone slabs. When water washed her, she couldn’t gasp for air. According to eye-witnesses, Narasamma suffered grievous injuries to her head. Tension prevailed in the area when MLA Raghu and his supporters came to the spot.
When the locals manhandled Raghu’s supporters, police resorted to mild caning to disperse the crowd. Baiyappanahalli police have registered a complaint. Mayor R Sampath Raj visited the spot and announced a compensation of `5 lakh to Narasamma’s family.