MANDYA: A three-year-old girl child, on the way to a hospital with her mother and uncle, died after the traffic police stopped their motorcycle during a routine traffic check near Swarnasandra on the old Bengaluru-Mysuru highway on Monday. The child fell to the ground and sustained serious head injury after the mother lost balance when the traffic police allegedly tugged at the motorcycle.
Hritiksha was the lone daughter of Vani and Ashok, residents of Goravanahalli. On Monday morning, while she was playing outside her house, she was bitten by a stray dog. The mother Vani, along with her brother-in-law rushed the child to the government hospital in Maddur where they were referred to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS).
On their way to Mandya, they were flagged down by the traffic police who were conducting checks for helmetless riding. The traffic police personnel allegedly tugged at the motorcycle, causing Hritiksha to fall on the road and sustain serious head injury.
Hritiksha was rushed to MIMS in an autorickshaw by locals and the police, but was declared dead. The parents then staged a protest on the highway along with the child demanding justice.
BJP leaders Induvalu Sachidananda, Ashok Jayaram and others also joined the protest. Police Superintendent Mallikarjun Baladandi, who arrived at the scene, told the protesters that three Assistant Sub-Inspectors of Police who were conducting the vehicle checks — Jayaram, Gurudev and Nagaraju — had been suspended pending inquiry. The SP had a tough time convincing the parents and the protesters. He assured them of adequate compensation and that such instances would not recur.
The SP said, “When the girl’s mother and uncle told the traffic police that they were taking the child to hospital, the police let them go. But a goods vehicle burshed against the motorcycle and the child fell on the road. A lorry coming from behind ran over the child, leading to serious injuries. The child died enroute to hospital”.
