GIRL LAY BLEEDING FOR 30 MINS
By Manoj Sharma
Rakesh, a passerby, took Priya to a hospital on his bike as the ambulance was late
Priya Gowda, a 13-year-old, died on Saturday after a ladder attached to a slide at a park in MEG Layout fell on her head. According to eyewitnesses, Priya was bleeding in the park for at least 30 minutes waiting for an ambulance and some people were seen taking pictures.
Rakesh B, the man who took Priya to a hospital on his Honda Dio, said, “It had already been 30 minutes since the fall. The girl was bleeding and some people were clicking photos. The ambulance men told us they were still at Ulsoor so we thought it better to take the girl to a hospital on a bike. We took her to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital but the doctor told us she was no more.”
Priya, the only daughter of Subramani and Vijaya Gowda of Mahadevapura, was studying in 8th standard at MTB School near Mahadevapura. Priya had come to her friend’s home in MEG Layout to work on a project. Priya and her friends Sahana and Subheeksha went to the park around 4:15 pm.
As the park was open, the trio went inside and Priya climbed the slide. Realising that the ladder was unstable, Priya jumped off it. The slide, which was not properly installed, fell on Priya’s head injuring her badly.
Prameela Rajan, one of the eyewitnesses who rushed to the spot, said, “It was around 4:50 pm, two girls were screaming for help and I could see one girl bleeding heavily and lying on ground inside the park. I immediately stopped my vehicle and went inside park. Her head was injured and I could not make her drink water as she was bleeding from her mouth too. When I looked around I saw many people had gathered and some were busy taking pictures and videos of the incident,” she said.
Nandeesh Reddy, ex-MLA of KR Puram assembly constituency who rushed to the spot on Sunday, said, “This is a murder. I saw the statement of Commissioner Manjunatha Prasad saying the girl had entered the park forcefully. This is rubbish. How can a 13-year-old enter the park forcefully?”
SG Nagaraj, Vijnana Nagar corporator, said, “I am really saddened for this incident. The park was closed for the past week and a few residents did quarrel with the watchman and entered the park for their walks. The watchman had gone to another park when the incident took place.”
Mahadevpura police said that the parents of the deceased girl have registered a complaint accusing BBMP officials and the contractor in charge of the on-going civil works in the park of being responsible for their daughter’s death. The police have written to the civic body seeking details of the officials entrusted with the responsibility of the park. “As of now, nobody has been named in the FIR but investigation is on,” said a cop involved in the probe.
What ails our parks?
The first question one should ask is to why the place was not properly barricaded and under what circumstances the children got access to the facility which was under construction. Unlike other nations, the concern for safety of life is still not a priority in the city and this is a matter of grave concern. It is a pattern in the city wherever construction work is going on proper security is not put in place. We need to understand the value of human life and, prior to starting any kind of developmental work, security should be the first concern. This is not the time for indulging in to a blame game, but if the park was under construction then it should have been properly barricaded. Life of a child has been lost and hence, as citizens, we should demand better accountability.
—RK Misra, Urban Expert
It is sad that a young life has been lost, but before blaming the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike we should look into the manner in which this accident has taken place. More than a matter of negligence and lack of safety, it was due to lack of security. According to the information that I have received, the park was under construction and it was locked. So how did the children get access to the premises? If there was a security guard assigned to keep the park off limits, what was he doing? It is true that most equipment installed in parks for the recreation of children are not in good shape. However, it goes without saying that proper security measures should be put in place.
Rakesh, a passerby, took Priya to a hospital on his bike as the ambulance was late
Priya Gowda, a 13-year-old, died on Saturday after a ladder attached to a slide at a park in MEG Layout fell on her head. According to eyewitnesses, Priya was bleeding in the park for at least 30 minutes waiting for an ambulance and some people were seen taking pictures.
Rakesh B, the man who took Priya to a hospital on his Honda Dio, said, “It had already been 30 minutes since the fall. The girl was bleeding and some people were clicking photos. The ambulance men told us they were still at Ulsoor so we thought it better to take the girl to a hospital on a bike. We took her to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital but the doctor told us she was no more.”
Priya, the only daughter of Subramani and Vijaya Gowda of Mahadevapura, was studying in 8th standard at MTB School near Mahadevapura. Priya had come to her friend’s home in MEG Layout to work on a project. Priya and her friends Sahana and Subheeksha went to the park around 4:15 pm.
As the park was open, the trio went inside and Priya climbed the slide. Realising that the ladder was unstable, Priya jumped off it. The slide, which was not properly installed, fell on Priya’s head injuring her badly.
Prameela Rajan, one of the eyewitnesses who rushed to the spot, said, “It was around 4:50 pm, two girls were screaming for help and I could see one girl bleeding heavily and lying on ground inside the park. I immediately stopped my vehicle and went inside park. Her head was injured and I could not make her drink water as she was bleeding from her mouth too. When I looked around I saw many people had gathered and some were busy taking pictures and videos of the incident,” she said.
Nandeesh Reddy, ex-MLA of KR Puram assembly constituency who rushed to the spot on Sunday, said, “This is a murder. I saw the statement of Commissioner Manjunatha Prasad saying the girl had entered the park forcefully. This is rubbish. How can a 13-year-old enter the park forcefully?”
SG Nagaraj, Vijnana Nagar corporator, said, “I am really saddened for this incident. The park was closed for the past week and a few residents did quarrel with the watchman and entered the park for their walks. The watchman had gone to another park when the incident took place.”
Mahadevpura police said that the parents of the deceased girl have registered a complaint accusing BBMP officials and the contractor in charge of the on-going civil works in the park of being responsible for their daughter’s death. The police have written to the civic body seeking details of the officials entrusted with the responsibility of the park. “As of now, nobody has been named in the FIR but investigation is on,” said a cop involved in the probe.
What ails our parks?
The first question one should ask is to why the place was not properly barricaded and under what circumstances the children got access to the facility which was under construction. Unlike other nations, the concern for safety of life is still not a priority in the city and this is a matter of grave concern. It is a pattern in the city wherever construction work is going on proper security is not put in place. We need to understand the value of human life and, prior to starting any kind of developmental work, security should be the first concern. This is not the time for indulging in to a blame game, but if the park was under construction then it should have been properly barricaded. Life of a child has been lost and hence, as citizens, we should demand better accountability.
—RK Misra, Urban Expert
It is sad that a young life has been lost, but before blaming the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike we should look into the manner in which this accident has taken place. More than a matter of negligence and lack of safety, it was due to lack of security. According to the information that I have received, the park was under construction and it was locked. So how did the children get access to the premises? If there was a security guard assigned to keep the park off limits, what was he doing? It is true that most equipment installed in parks for the recreation of children are not in good shape. However, it goes without saying that proper security measures should be put in place.
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