Speeding vehicle knocks down girl, locals protest in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A 14-year-old girl was knocked down by a speeding car at Beerasandra village near Devanahalli on Saturday. Tension prevailed on the highway as locals staged a protest against highway authorities for not completing ongoing work over the last few years.

Vishwanathapura police along with the local MLA managed to quell the protest. The deceased has been identified as Harshitha, a resident of Bairadenahalli. She was the daughter Lakshman, a daily wager, and was a Class 7 student in a government school.

A senior police officer said the incident occurred around 8.30am when Harshitha was on her way to school. A Tata Sumo MUV, which was being driven recklessly, knocked her down when she was crossing the road to reach a bus stop. The girl was flung in the air and fell about 200 metres away due to the impact, killing her instantly. The driver escaped from the scene and later surrendered before the police.

Satish, a local, said there are no proper safety measures for pedestrians. “The highway patrol staff never bother to take action against overspeeding vehicles,” he rued.

On October 10 last year, villagers had staged a protest at Devanahalli after an 18-year-old girl, Veena, was run over by a speeding lorry when her friend Vijayalakshmi slowed down their scooter to avoid a pothole. Vijayalakshmi, who was riding, was also injured in the mishap.