City’s killer roads claim yet another victim; 16-year-old girl riding pillion comes under wheels of BMTC bus after rider loses controlIt’s the same lethal combination Bengaluru is so familiar with: a potholed road, an impatient BMTC bus, and a vulnerable two-wheeler. This time the victim is a 16-year-old girl, riding pillion with her brother.Santosh was wailing inconsolably when he said this: “I was unnerved by the honking of the bus behind me. Before I could give way, I hit the cement in a pothole and hit an autorickshaw. Before I realised what happened, the bus had run over Savitha’s head.”The accident took place between Nayandahalli flyover and Rajara­jes­hwarinagar (RR Nagar) arch, a death trap for unsuspecting riders, made worse by Metro works, recent rain and haphazardly filled potholes.P Savitha, a native of Belekere, Mysuru had passed class 10 and was looking to go for higher studies. On Sunday morning, she and her brother, Santosh (who worked at an electrical shop), were headed for a wedding in RR Nagar on a scooter.When they reached near Pantarapalya, according to Santosh, the bus behind him honked repeatedly. He panicked and lost balance because of a pothole that had a block of cement in it.Preliminary investigation by the police said the bus hit the scooter from behind; Santosh fell on the left side of the road while Savitha on the right. The front wheel of the bus ran over her, killing her instantly. Santhosh’s family, which was also en route to the wedding, saw people gathered at the spot of the accident and stopped to look, and found Savitha dead, in a pool of blood. They started blaming Santosh, who seemed to be in shock.Fearing mob anger, the BMTC bus driver, Suresh, left the bus on the spot and fled. Later, he surrendered before the Byatarayanapura police. The 40-year-old driver told the police that he was not speeding, although he did admit to honking as the scooter was moving slowly. Because of the pothole, when the two fell on the road, he said, he tried to maneuver safely, but failed.The police, however, claimed Santosh did not mention the pothole in his statement. According to their investigation, the BMTC bus hit the scooter first. Santosh was riding slowly because of the bad road. Crawling behind the scooter, the bus honked persistently, asking for way. After the bus hit the scooter, Santosh lost balance and rode around 15 feet more before falling.The police claimed they would take action against the BBMP official concerned, if the pothole led to the accident. Mysuru Road was full of potholes and they have to be filled up scientifically to avoid accidents, a police officer said.BBMP Commissioner Manjunath N wasn’t aware of the incident when Mirror spoke to him. “I will ask officials to visit the spot and report. We have already given instructions to fill the potholes and craters across the city, not only on Mysuru Road. The work is in progress,” he said.Engineers and contractors will be held responsible and action shall be taken against them for bad roads, he said, adding that he will look into the accident in question.Chandrashekar, a businessman, told Mirror about the shoddy way of covering potholes that made roads dangerous for two-wheelers. “I regularly use Mysuru Road. I find it the most dangerous in the city; full of potholes that are haphazardly filled up. Officials must be punished for such roads,” he said.