Why Bengaluru is India’s deadliest metropolitan city for deaths arising from civic negligence
It was around 8 p.m. on July 14, 2023, when tragedy struck 18-year-old Rajashekar K.V. He was walking on Cunningham Road in the heart of
It was around 8 p.m. on July 14, 2023, when tragedy struck 18-year-old Rajashekar K.V. He was walking on Cunningham Road in the heart of the city when a huge peepal tree fell on him, causing severe pelvic injuries that left his lower body immobilised. Rajashekar had come to Bengaluru from Chickballapur just 20 days earlier to pursue an aviation course, and had begun his training. His father, Venkataravanappa, who is physically challenged, works as a waterman at the panchayat office, while his mother is a daily wage labourer. Speaking to The Hindu three years later, Venkataravanappa said Rajashekar is yet to recover fully and can barely walk 10 metres. He has undergone eight surgeries so far, and one more is likely. Rajashekar, however, remains optimistic about getting back on his feet and supporting his family within a few years. He still has a catheter and an iron rod in his thighs and was only recently relieved of the pelvic external fixation. He says the pain persists, especially while travelling or trying to walk, but what hurts more is the feeling of betrayal by the now-dissolved Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). After covering the hospital costs, the BBMP stepped away. No case was filed, and the family has been left to deal with the consequences. The family’s combined monthly income is between ₹20,000 and ₹22,000. Rajashekar’s medicines cost around ₹2,000 a month. He has to visit the hospital once every month and can travel only by taxi, which costs between ₹5,000 and ₹6,000 for each visit. In addition, the family has to bear consultation expenses. Choked by concrete The tree that crashed on Rajashekar had been pruned recently and was reportedly healthy. However, according to sources, its base had been choked by concretisation. The larger concern, however, is that no reactive measure or corrective intervention was planned or initiated, and the incident was treated as a one-off accident. Even more concerning is that the issue of concretisation around trees remains unaddressed to this day. Rajashekar, who has battled for his life while enduring the pain of multiple surgeries, recalls how BBMP shifted him from a private hospital to a government hospital during his recovery despite his father’s hesitation. “They did bear the cost of my surgeries, but they moved me to Bowring Hospital, promising a separate room and full care. Once I was shifted, none of the officials visited or even called,” he claimed. Tree-fall and branch-snapping incidents have continued across the city, claiming more than five lives since. In 2025 alone, three people died in tree branch-snapping incidents. In a recent case, a 52-year-old man slipped into a coma after a branch snapped and struck his head. He is currently under observation in the intensive care unit (ICU). Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data suggests that Bengaluru has become India’s deadliest metropolitan city for deaths arising from civic negligence. For six consecutive years, the city has recorded the highest number of deaths owing to civic body negligence among metropolitan cities. According to the data, Bengaluru recorded 17 such deaths in 2024, 20 in 2023, 21 in 2022, and 31 in 2021.
The BriefWire