FIR filed against 3 for Metro girder collapse

Bengaluru: The death of autorickshaw driver Qasim Saab at Bengaluru’s Kogilu Junction has reignited concerns over safety in the city’s Metro construction projects. On Tuesday, a massive concrete girder, part of the under-construction airport Metro line, fell from an 18-wheeler truck during a turn at Kogilu Cross, crushing Saab’s vehicle. Despite efforts by locals to free him using a crane, Saab, a Hegde Nagar resident, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Following a complaint by Saab’s father-in-law, Syed Khader, Yelahanka Traffic Police filed an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 281 (dangerous driving) and 106 (causing death by negligence). The truck driver, a project contractor, and a manager from Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) are named in the case.

Saab, who had purchased his autorickshaw just 20 days earlier with a loan, was ferrying a passenger toward Nagawara when the accident occurred. The passenger had reportedly alighted moments before the girder, transported from the Wadiyarpura casting yard, detached from the truck and mangled the autorickshaw.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), overseeing the airport line project, expressed condolences and committed to compensating Saab’s family while promising stricter safety protocols.

This tragedy echoes a 2023 incident in HBR Layout, where a Metro pier collapse killed a woman and her toddler, leading to charges against BMRCL officials and NCC representatives. Locals have criticised BMRCL for recurring safety lapses.