A woman and her child, who was two-and-a-half years old, who were killed after an under-construction Metro pillar collapsed on them in Bengaluru were cremated Wednesday, sources told news agency ANI. Tejaswini (25) and her child Vihan were under the pillar that collapsed suddenly on Tuesday. Lohith - Tejaswini's husband - and their second child suffered injuries.
Tejaswini Kumar with her son Vihan, who died in the metro pillar collapse in Bengaluru on Tuesday. (ANI)
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The tragic incident occurred in Bengaluru's Nagawara area, where the Namma Metro is being linked to the city's Kempegowda International Airport. A first information report (FIR) has been registered against seven people and the firm responsible, Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra said Wednesday.
Of the seven people booked, five are officials from the Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) while two are from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).
No arrests have been made so far, and these are the persons named in the FIR - from the NCC, junior engineer Prabhakar, director Chaitanya, SPM Mathai, PM Vikas Singh, and supervisor Lakshmipathi. From BMRCL, deputy chief engineer Venkatesh Shetty and executive engineer Mahesh Bendekari.
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The BMRCL also suspended three of its officers and ordered an inquiry against them.
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The BMRCL also suspended three of its officers and ordered an inquiry against them.
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A Deccan Herald report has claimed that the chief engineer in charge of civil construction work for the metro line has not been named in the FIR, contrary to the chief minister’s instructions.
Tejaswini and her son's deaths evoked sharp reactions from the public as well as the opposition Congress, after which the BMRCL announced an ex-gratia of ₹20 lakh for their kin, while Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai announced a separate ₹10 lakh.
Several urban experts have said the tragedy was avoidable if only there was proper supervision and blamed the callousness of the authorities.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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