Bengaluru: Building contractor arrested after toppling pole kills school girl

Bengaluru: The police on Sunday arrested Chandrashekar, the civil contractor of an under-construction commercial complex, after a survey pole from the building fell and killed a 15-year-old school girl.

Tejaswini Rao, a Class 10 student from a private school in VV Puram, suffered fatal head injuries when the pole fell from the fifth floor of the construction site on Saturday. The incident occurred around 12:40 pm on National High School Road, near the National College metro station, as Tejaswini was walking home from school.

Negligence confirmed

The VV Puram police arrested Chandrashekar after a preliminary investigation revealed negligence at the construction site. The police have also issued notices to other stakeholders, including the building owner, as part of the ongoing inquiry.

“We arrested the contractor as his explanations during questioning were unsatisfactory,” an investigator said.

The police reported that construction work was underway on the sixth floor of the ground-plus-six structure when the pole, used to support a structure, buckled and fell, striking Tejaswini directly.

“Passersby rushed to help and immediately transported her to Nimhans. However, she succumbed to her injuries around 2.15 pm due to severe head trauma,” an officer stated.

Complaint by her father

Sudhakar Rao, Tejaswini’s father, has lodged a complaint alleging that the builder disregarded safety measures at the construction site, leading to his daughter’s tragic death.

Based on the complaint, the police have registered an FIR under Section 304A of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to causing death by negligence, and have initiated further investigations.