BENGALURU: A 73-year-old businessman died after he crashed his scooter into a fallen tree in Jayanagar in the early hours of Monday, October 4, 2021. The mishap followed heavy rain, which began on Sunday night. BBMP officials, along with Jayanagar traffic police, inspected the accident spot. The deceased has been identified as BS Nagaraj Dhanya, a resident of Thyagarajanagar, who ran a coffee bar in Jayanagar.
A senior police officer said the incident occurred around 5 am, when Nagaraj was heading to the coffee bar. It was dark and he did not notice a tree fallen across the road. He rammed his two-wheeler into it, fell down and sustained serious injuries. He was rushed to hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
“We examined CCTV footage and found there was a coconut tree inside a salon compound, which fell on the main road around 4.30 am. Nagaraj was the first person to have crossed that road thereafter, with his scooter crashing into the tree. Since he was not wearing a helmet, he suffered severe head injuries,” the officer said.
PC Rao, the president of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association, said, “Nagaraj was the former secretary of the Bangalore Hotel Association and Karnataka Hotel Association. He was very active in the industry and several associations... it is a big loss for us.”
Based on a complaint by Nagaraj’s brother Vasudeva Dhanya, police have registered an accident case. However, no case has been registered against the BBMP, the officer added.The BBMP control room said seven incidents of trees falling due to the rain were reported - two in the East Zone, three in the West Zone and two in the South zone. Water-logging on roads and water entering people’s homes were also reported.
The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted thunderstorms, heavy rain, lightning and squalls in the capital, along with other southern districts until October 7. They have put Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Kodagu districts on alert for October 6 and 7.