Several deaths caused due to poor public infrastructure are often dismissed as accidents due to rash driving, sub-standard helmets and negligence of the driver.
Published Oct 08, 2025 | 11:30 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 08, 2025 | 11:30 AM
Potholes on a road in Bengaluru. (X)
Synopsis: Bengaluru topped the list of reported deaths caused due to negligence by civic agencies, according to a recent report by the National Crime Records Bureau. These findings come at a time when criticism has been mounting against the crumbling public infrastructure in the city and the accidents caused due to it.
For the fourth year in a row, Bengaluru topped the list of reported deaths caused due to negligence by civic agencies, according to a recent report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). While 20 deaths were attributed to civic negligence in 2023, 21 such incidents were reported in 2022, 31 in the previous year and 49 in 2019.
Although the numbers have dipped since previous years, the IT capital still bags the first spot among 18 other metropolitan cities, with Indore trailing behind with two reported deaths attributed to civic negligence in 2023.
Reported deaths due to negligence of civic bodies.
These findings come at a time when criticism has been mounting against crumbling public infrastructure in the city. Last week, a college student died after a tipper truck knocked her down and crushed her while she was trying to avoid a pothole near Budigere Cross. While residents in the area lamented that the poor condition of roads caused the accident, police have yet to verify these claims.
However, there is no doubt that poor public infrastructure has caused hardship to citizens, with some extreme cases even leading to deaths. According to data from the Karnataka Police Department, 99 cases of deaths due to negligence of civic bodies were pending trial at the end of 2023 across the state, with a conviction rate being zero for the year.
“There has been a slow decline in accountability of our municipal corporation and civic agencies to the point that now even the death of a citizen does not move us. We blame ourselves, the roads, the hapless tractor driver and rub our hands in anguish. In the meantime, the incompetence, shoddy work, and corruption continue getting away with ‘murder’,” said Anjali Saini, an activist and active member of the citizens’ collective Whitefield Rising.
Several deaths caused due to poor public infrastructure are often dismissed as accidents due to rash driving, sub-standard helmets and negligence of the driver.
Activists told South First that, in several cases, families of victims choose not to push for punitive action against the civic agency responsible for the accident.
“The families are shot down by the government. They are often told that it (the accident) was the victim’s fault and not negligence by a civic body,” a city-based activist told South First on condition of anonymity.
In 2022, a tragic accident on Magadi Main Road claimed the life of teacher Sharmila Prakash, who was riding pillion with her husband as the driver, when a truck ran over her. Residents blamed the potholes and poor condition of the road, claiming that it had made the stretch unsafe for commuters.
While the truck driver was arrested, her family, locals, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders who protested the incident accused the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) of negligence, arguing that Prakash’s death was a result of civic apathy rather than driver error.
However, officials passed the blame among themselves. A day after the incident, BBMP chief engineer (road infrastructure) B S Prahalad said the accident was not caused by a pothole, but by a section of the road dug up by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to lay drinking water pipelines.
Following the incident, AAP filed a police complaint against MLA ST Somashekar, the BBMP commissioner, and the BWSSB managing director, alleging death by negligence. However, as civic activist Zibi Jamal pointed out, such cases rarely conclude. They usually get lost in the maze of bureaucratic blame games.
While AAP initially held candlelight vigils and protests against the incident, their agitation eventually died down. AAP leaders South First spoke to said that they did not have any update on the case. Police officials who had then spoken to reporters stated that there was no mention of avoiding a pothole in the complaint. They alleged that Prakash was wearing a sub-standard helmet.
Similarly, in another incident in 2023, a woman and her nine-month-old daughter were electrocuted after coming into contact with a snapped 11 KV live wire at Hope Farm in Kadugodi. The incident sent shockwaves across the city.
The police wing of Karnataka Lokayukta, which was investigating the case, stated in its report that Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd (BESCOM) was informed of the unattended live wire one hour before the tragedy, and the officials’ negligence had led to the tragedy.
While a criminal case was filed against five BESCOM engineers of the Whitefield division for criminal negligence under IPC section 304A, the investigation in the case still hasn’t concluded. In August 2024, the Karnataka High Court dismissed the petitions filed by three of the accused engineers, who had questioned the legality of registration of a case of criminal negligence against them, stating that “responsibility would flow from the top brass to the lowest rung of officials and none can escape the responsibility in case of the act of negligence…”
Additionally, two officials had been suspended, with the Energy Minister directing the agency to work towards finding out vulnerable spots and fixing the problems. However, Jamal claimed that these BESCOM officials have been reinstated and that no permanent action has been initiated.
Apart from fatalities linked to civic negligence, those injured on Bengaluru’s battered roads rarely see any compensation.
In 2019, civic activist Kathyayini Chamaraj suffered an injury after tripping over broken pavement slabs while walking on Berlie Street.
In 2020, the BBMP had announced a compensation of ₹15,000 for individuals who suffer minor injuries because of potholes or damaged roads. However, Chamaraj said her own experience shows that the policy remains on paper.
“I never received any compensation for my injury, though my claim was forwarded to the East Zone Zonal Commissioner,” she told South First.
Similarly, another Bengaluru resident, Dhivya Kiran Jeevan, issued a notice to the BBMP in May 2025, seeking compensation of ₹ 50 lakh for the “extreme pain, trauma, and suffering” he allegedly underwent due to poorly maintained roads.
Kiran, who is also a professor, said that despite being a tax-paying citizen, he has endured “continuous physical hardship and mental agony” due to BBMP’s “blatant failure to maintain basic civic infrastructure.” He pointed towards deep potholes, broken and uneven footpaths, and severely damaged road surfaces in his notice.
“Due to the hazardous road conditions, he is unable to travel in autos or two-wheelers, as the uneven and damaged roads severely worsen his spinal and neck condition. Even cab rides are difficult, though marginally more tolerable than autos or bikes. This severely limits his mobility and independence, affecting both his personal and professional commitments,” the notice stated.
Kiran is suffering from severe neck and back pain, which has been medically linked by doctors to the repeated jerks and impacts experienced while commuting on “treacherous” roads. He was reportedly forced to make five visits to orthopaedic specialists and four emergency visits to St Philomena’s Hospital, where he received injections and other procedures to relieve his pain.
However, he hasn’t received any compensation or a response to his notice until now. “I am still facing pain in my neck and back. I will continue this fight and raise awareness. I met the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Commissioner and submitted a petition to the chief minister as well,” he told South First.
As outrage over Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure continues, civic officials and contractors are racing against the 31 October deadline to declare the city ‘pothole-free.’
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
