Deadly Iblur junction takes 1 more life, locals protest

The death of a pedestrian at Iblur junction in Southeast Bengaluru — the third in two months — triggered protests by the victim’s relatives and residents, who accused the authorities of neglecting the dangerous intersection.

Doddamuniyappa (55), who worked for Axis Bank, was crossing the road at the intersection of Sarjapur Road and the ring road around 10.30 am to take a bus towards Agara when a concrete mixer knocked him down, killing him on the spot. Angry protesters then blocked the road, leading to a traffic jam that extended for over five km and lasted three hours.

The police said that the driver lost his control over the vehicle and hit the pedestrian. The driver abandoned his vehicle and fled. The police seized the truck and filed an FIR. This is the third pedestrian death in the last 60 days, confirmed the police.

The police, who arrived at the spot soon after learning about the accident, quelled the protests by resorting to lathi charge.

There is no traffic policeman at the spot on regular duty to help pedestrians. But soon after the accident, two policemen were seen assisting the pedestrians at the accident-prone junction. “There is neither a traffic policeman nor a zebra crossing for pedestrians here. There are no speed breakers too,” said Ashish K, a pedestrian.