Mother-son duo in Bengaluru assault BBMP sanitation workers over garbage dispute
Bengaluru: Five women sanitation workers, known as pourakarmikas, employed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), were assaulted by a mother and her son in Byadarahalli on Wednesday, September 11. The incident occurred after a dispute over garbage collection outside the duo's residence, and the assault was captured in a video that has since gone viral on social media.
The Byadarahalli Police have registered an FIR against the accused under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocity) Amendment Ordinance-2014, along with various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) related to causing injury, criminal intimidation, and intentional insult. The complaint was lodged by Lakshmi C, one of the injured workers.
According to the complaint, the accused, identified as Chandru and his mother, residents of 14th Cross at Bharathnagar in Byadarahalli, approached the sanitation workers while they were cleaning the street. Chandru's mother demanded that the workers clear a pile of garbage outside their house. The workers explained that the waste was too much for them to manage and asked her to wait for the auto tipper that regularly collects large amounts of waste.
However, the situation quickly escalated. Lakshmi reported that Chandru’s mother verbally abused the workers, stating that they were paid with the tax money from their family and called her son to "teach them a lesson," using derogatory remarks about their caste. When Lakshmi attempted to record Chandru's abusive comments, he allegedly snatched her phone, threw it to the ground, and physically assaulted her by pulling her hair, slapping her, and tearing her uniform.
The situation worsened when Lakshmi's colleagues tried to intervene. Chandru, with help from his mother, allegedly assaulted the other workers as well, including hitting Ramakka on the hand and kicking Asha, Munirathna, and Anniyamma. Chandru also issued death threats during the altercation, according to Lakshmi's complaint.
Fearing for their jobs, the sanitation workers refrained from retaliating and instead reported the incident to their superior. Despite this, the verbal and physical abuse continued in the presence of the superior. Eventually, the workers approached the police, leading to Chandru’s detention.
As a result of the attack, Lakshmi's phone, worth Rs 30,000, was damaged, and Ramakka’s bangles were broken. Lakshmi sustained injuries to her back, head, and stomach, while her colleagues suffered minor injuries.
Nirmala M, president of the BBMP Pourakarmika Sangha, condemned the assault, stating, "We are not slaves. We are respected people, and we're just doing our job. Using abusive language and violence against us is unacceptable. We urge the police to take swift action and arrest the accused immediately."
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
