City’s favourite killfie spots

BENGALURU: A group of PU students from the city had gone on an early morning bike ride to Nandi Hills a few days ago. On their way back, they stopped at nearby pond and one of them drowned, while the rest were taking a selfie. In another case, three students were run over by a train while attempting to take a selfie near a railway track in Kengeri.Young and old adventurers in city say that there are favourite selfie-spots around the city, which witness accidents frequently. Mohammad Maaz of the Highway Riders Club says, “Nandi Hills is a favourite spot for bikers, but every weekend there is an accident there because bikers don’t have the skill to corner the turns and they are distracted by their phone cameras”.

Maaz also names Avalabetta with its hanging cliffs; Google Avalabetta and you will have images of people taking selfies with their back turned away from the sheer fall. Maaz adds that this is a common shot taken at DD Hills on Mumbai Highway and Horsely Hills too.“Bikers tend to take selfies and photos in the middle of less-frequented highways,” he says, adding that his group of 50 riders between 18 and 50 years is averse to taking such risks.

Imtiyaz, a software professional who travels very frequently to his hometown in Chikmagalur, names Charmadi Ghats. "As many as 2 deaths related to selfies were reported here,” he says. “Some of the cliffs I have seen have a fall of around 400 meters or even more and selfies would be a mistake here”.
Alpa Prasad went to the Hogenakkal Falls, around 200 km from the city, with her family. Her mother got injured while at the falls. "Some of the areas around the falls are very slippery. I have also heard of a coracle capsizing when people gathered to take a selfie. It is definitely one of those places where people need to be very careful," she says. 

Jhanvi Jain, a communications professional says taking a selfie during a night or day trek to Savandurga, Asia's largest monolithic rock located 60kms from Bengaluru can prove fatal. "The trek can be very deceiving at first. It seems easy and then as you go higher it becomes quite difficult. Many people who take selfies cannot concentrate on the walk and they could trip and fall," she says. Savandurga has been marked as a no-selfie zone by the tourism department due to many reported incidents of deaths.   

Existing measures
As it is the department has already put up signs in a number of locations across the state dissuading people from taking selfies. Kharge says that with the online campaign, "they hope to reach more people." The police have also done the same in many places, especially near accident-prone areas such as waterfalls and cliffs. In few of these places where police personnel is deployed to prevent untoward incidents.

Selfie deaths may be recorded separately soon
A highly placed police source says,“Though there are no classifications of selfie-related deaths either under the National Crime Records Bureau or State Crime Records Bureau, there is a thought that is being given to make this into a separate category in the state crime records next year.”

indians throw 
caution to the winds
A study done for 18 months between 2014 to 2016, says that as much as 60 percent of all deaths of people while taking a selfie took place in in India. The study called, 'Myself and My Killfie: Characterizing and Preventing Selfie Deaths' and says that 76 of the 127 reported 'selfie deaths' during this time took place in the country.