Student who died in Pattanagere wasn’t stopped at metro FOB over face mask: BMRCL

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has denied that it contributed in any way to the fatal road accident under the Pattanagere metro station overbridge on February 2.

A 20-year-old college student was run over by a car while crossing the busy Mysuru Road that day.

Chaitanya Ganesh, a BE student from RV College of Engineering who lives in the hostel across the road, claimed that the BMRCL “indirectly contributed” to the accident by insisting that pedestrians using the metro overbridge wear facemasks.

He said many pedestrians avoid using the overbridge because they do not carry facemasks and thus risk their lives by crossing the busy road.

The BMRCL clarified that this was not the case.

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“BMRCL never insists on mask-wearing by pedestrians who use foot overbridges at metro stations having road-crossing facilities. BMRCL also allows passengers to travel on metro without masks though the advisory is given to that effect for the general wellness of commuters for their own safety while they travel in crowded AC metro coaches.

“Many passengers travel daily without wearing masks. In Pattanagere, too, they are being permitted through security checks,” it said.

BMRCL further stated that it examined the CCTV footage of the foot overbridge at the Pattanagere metro station and found that the girl who lost her life neither tried to use the metro FOB nor did any metro staffer stop her for not wearing a mask.

The video recordings of the day also show many passengers entering the metro station for crossing Mysuru Road without the staff asking them to wear masks during security checks, BMRCL said in a statement.

Ganesh, however, said that metro security guards continue to insist on mask use and he was almost stopped from using the FOB on February 3 because he didn’t mask up.

He said the authorities had now constructed a hump and painted a zebra crossing at the accident spot.

“These things aren’t needed when we have a functional pedestrian bridge. People should be able to use it without any restrictions,” Ganesh added.