Bengaluru: Year after techie’s drowning in KR Circle, police prepare charge sheet

Bengaluru: A year after Bathula Bhanu Rekha, a 23-year-old techie from Andhra Pradesh, drowned in the waterlogged KR Circle underpass in central Bengaluru, the police have finally prepared a charge sheet in the case.

Three BBMP officials may face legal consequences as investigators seek government approval to include their names in the charge sheet.

Rekha lost her life on May 21, 2023, when the car she was traveling in with her family sank in the flooded underpass. The family had hired a cab for a picnic, driven by Harish Gowda, who attempted to navigate the waterlogged underpass. Despite repeated attempts, the car stalled. While Gowda and other family members managed to escape, Rekha was tragically trapped.

Following a complaint from Rekha’s brother, the Halasuru Gate police launched an investigation. After 14 months, they have prepared a charge sheet, naming Gowda as the prime accused. According to the police, Gowda’s negligent decision to drive through the waterlogged underpass led to Rekha’s death.

A police source noted, “The Bengaluru Traffic Police had barricaded the underpass due to its flooding risk, but strong winds had displaced the barriers, allowing Gowda to enter.”

The investigation also revealed dereliction of duty by BBMP officers, contributing to the car’s submersion.

The police have requested government approval to add the names of the Executive Engineer (EE), the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) and Junior Engineer (JE) responsible for maintaining the underpass to the charge sheet. Poor maintenance by the BBMP was cited as a key factor in the waterlogging.

In the past several months, the city has seen multiple cases of deaths caused by the negligence of the civic body. However, in all cases only a Departmental Enquiry (DE) was ordered. This includes the electrocution of a 23-year-old woman and her nine-month-old baby in Kadugodi last year.

In view of this, civic activists have welcomed the police’s move.

Sandeep Anirudhan, a civic activist, pointed out that investigators and prosecutors often go easy on government officers, making this development particularly noteworthy.