Karnataka - Bangalore

Car tragedy: family still fighting for compensation

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: It is more than five years since three members of a family lost their lives when their car was washed away in an open storm water drain on a rainy night in Bangalore. The parents of Manjunath, who along with his wife and daughter, had drowned in a drain in J.P. Nagar, had filed a case in the High Court seeking compensation of Rs. 50 lakh from the Bruhut Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

According to Manjunath's parents, their son was employed as a Purchase Officer in Delphi, an IT company. On May 25, 2002, Manjunath, a resident of Arakere, along with his wife, Rekha (28) and daughter Malavika (5), left in their Maruti car around 11.15 p.m. He drove into the open storm water drain near the residence of the former Minister P.G. R. Sindhia. Their bodies were recovered a few days later. The petitioners said their son had driven the car on the pavement covering the drain and that he was not aware that slabs on the drain did not continue beyond Mr. Sindhia's house.

Justice Rammohan Reddy directed the State to file its statement and adjourned the case.

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