Death of schoolgirl hospitalised for 702 days creates outrage in Bengaluru

The death of a schoolgirl who had been hospitalised for two years after a dry tree branch fell on her while going to school has created public outrage in Karnataka capital Bengaluru.

Ten-year-old Rachel Prisha, while going to school on bike with her father was fatally injured after a dry branch of a tree suddenly fell on her head on March 11, 2020.

She was undergoing treatment in Manipal hospital and succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.

The officers of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the civic agency, are to be blamed for the incident, the girl's parents said.

It is the responsibility of BBMP to remove dry branches of trees. However, despite repeated complaints about this particular branch, the BBMP officers turned a blind eye, which resulted in the fatal accident, they added.

Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy visited the hospital and paid his condolences to the bereaved family. "Am really pained by Rachel's demise. Had visited her earlier and spent time with her. I was hoping that she would recover. BBMP should stop this kind of tragedies at least in future," Kumaraswamy tweeted.

Actor Kichcha Sudeep, whom Rachael Prisha was an ardent fan of, had spoken to her and wished her speedy recovery. The incident has drawn sharp reactions from the public and BBMP is being slammed for its negligence on social platforms.

Indo-Asian News Service