Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer following the collapse of a wall at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, which claimed seven lives. The directive was issued during a high-level review meeting held at Vidhana Soudha.
The meeting, attended by senior officials including Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, brought together BBMP commissioners to assess accountability and identify lapses that led to the tragic incident.
During the discussion, the chief minister questioned officials over the manner in which soil had been dumped near the wall, asking why it was allowed despite the risk of structural damage and why proper monitoring was not carried out.
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According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, the executive engineer held responsible for the lapse has been suspended with immediate effect.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening when a compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds, and a hailstorm, killing seven people, including a six-year-old girl, and injuring seven others. Police said some of the victims were from Kerala and were on a study tour when they took shelter near the wall, which suddenly gave way and trapped them under debris.
Siddaramaiah also directed authorities to issue a notice to the head of the hospital, questioning how soil dumping was permitted near a vulnerable structure.
The chief minister, who visited the site soon after the tragedy along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the collapse.
Emergency responders and police teams had rushed to the spot with earthmoving machinery to carry out rescue operations, evacuate the injured and recover bodies. Further action is expected once the investigation into the incident is completed.
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