Two hurt in freak accident

In yet another sign of the City’s crumbling infrastructure, two electric poles collapsed on an elderly man and a middle-aged woman, grievously injuring them near K R Market here on Sunday evening.

Mallika (40), a resident of Jayanagar 9th Block, was about to wind up her roadside footwear business when an electric pole collapsed on her forehead on Arcot Srinivasachar Street around 6:45 pm. Moments later, another electric pole also crashed, apparently unable to bore the weight of the first one.

It fell on Ameer, a 70-year-old native of Mysore who was crossing the road. Luckily his handicapped son Saifullah, who was with him, escaped unhurt.
Khalid, another roadside vendor, said he rushed to the spot when the first pole fell on Mallika.

Passersby rushed Mallika to Victoria Hospital. Mazhar Pasha, who sells home appliances, said Ameer had bought a second-hand table fan from him for Rs 200 just before he met with the accident.

The bases of the electric poles were heavily rusted. They were actually not uprooted as the cement frames built around their bases remained intact. It was only their bases over the cement frame which caved in.

Cottonpet police inspector Noorulla Sharif said a case of causing hurt by act endangering life of personal safety of others has been booked against the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company under Sections 337 and 338 of the IPC. The injured are said to be out of danger.