Man knocked down by bike-borne men, passers-by record video in Bengaluru

BENGALURU:In yet another case of public apathy, 32-year-old Mithilesh Vijay was knocked down by a two-wheeler on Saturday morning while crossing the busy Kunigal Highway. He lay on the road asking for help for nearly half an hour as passers-by just stood there recording his ordeal.

The bike-borne men, who suffered minor injuries, also left the spot after some time. While some Good Samaritans made an effort to call the 108 ambulance service, they were reportedly told by the control centre that ambulances were unavailable. Vijay was finally taken to a hospital in an ambulance operated by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The delay in the arrival of the ambulance only led to a crowd gathering at the spot and video-recording Vijay’s ordeal. He has suffered a fracture in the leg and his condition is stable, police said.

The injured is a resident of Kempalinganahalli and works in a factory near Kunigal highway. He was crossing the road near Nelamangala, when two people who were heading to Kunigal on a bike, lost balance and crashed into Vijay, knocking him down.

“The NHAI was alerted and an ambulance was sent. He was shifted to a hospital with the help of the traffic police. We have informed senior officers about the alleged refusal of the 108 services to send an ambulance due to non-availability,” a police officer said. A complaint has been registered.