MANDYA: A three-year-old girl died after falling off a two-wheeler and being run over by a truck on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway in Mandya on Monday after the traffic police allegedly stopped the bike as the riders were not wearing helmets.
A large number of people protested at the spot, blaming the traffic police for the accident, following which three Assistant Sub-Inspectors were suspended.
The victim Hrithiksha was the only daughter of Vanishree and Ashok and hailed from Goravanahalli village in Maddur taluk. Earlier in the day, the girl was bitten by a stray dog while playing near her home. Vanishree and her brother-in-law Baskar Gowda took the girl to the Maddur government hospital. The doctors there gave her first aid and then referred her to MIMS Hospital in Mandya owing to the unavailability of the required anti-rabies vaccine at Maddur.
At around 10:30 am, the bike carrying Hrithiksha, her mother, and uncle was stopped by traffic police near Swarnasandra for riding without helmets. After Vanishree explained the medical urgency, the police allowed them to proceed. But just a few metres away, another traffic policeman attempted to stop them again. In the confusion, Gowda lost control of the bike. While he fell to the left, Vanishree and Hrithiksha fell to the right, directly in the path of an oncoming truck. The truck ran over the child, resulting in fatal head injuries.
The incident sparked public outrage.
Grieving family members, relatives, and members of the public gathered outside MIMS Hospital and staged a protest on the highway by placing the child’s body on the road. They demanded immediate action against the police personnel involved, accusing them of negligence.
Mandya Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baladandi rushed to the scene and attempted to pacify the protesters. Following mounting pressure, he announced the suspension of three traffic ASIs — Jayaram, Nagaraju, and Gurudev — attached to the Mandya traffic police station.
SP Baladandi said, “Preliminary investigation has revealed that the officers failed to follow proper procedure during the inspection. A departmental inquiry has been ordered. Meanwhile, I have instructed all police personnel to avoid vehicle inspections that could endanger public safety.”He also added that discussions would be held with elected representatives to ensure the victim’s family receives compensation.
The tragedy has also drawn criticism of the state’s healthcare system, particularly the unavailability of critical vaccines at taluk hospitals. Villagers expressed anger that the Maddur government hospital lacked dog bite vaccinations, forcing the family to travel to Mandya. “If the necessary vaccine had been available at the taluk hospital, the child would still be alive,” said one protester.