City's pothole claims one more life? Cops unsure

BENGALURU: Just 10 days after BBMP and the state government, on November 26, assured fixing potholes within two weeks, a 30-year-old private company employee died after falling down from a bike near Vijaya Bank Layout in Hulimavu, south east Bengaluru, on Saturday morning. Santosh B Sasalli, 30, resident of Begur, was riding pillion with a colleague, Devendra Kothari, and heading to a hospital as he had a backache. His family and friends suspect that Kothari lost control of the bike while negotiating a pothole.However, police said he fell from the bike due to health problems. Sasalli, a native of Gadag, North karnataka, had sustained head injuries. He was working as a service staff with a company that sells fire extinguishers. In his statement to police, Kothari said Santosh fell down when he slowed down to avoid a pothole. "He called me around 5 am asking for help. He was suffering from acute back pain and we decided to take him to Ashwini hospital at Bilekahalli," police quoted Kothari as saying. "The road is in bad condition. So I decided to ride slow," Kothari told police. He further told police that Santosh said he could not sit any more, but before Kothari could stop the vehicle, Santosh fell down and sustained head injuries. A senior police officer said they are working on both angles. "There is no doubt that road is in bad shape. Santosh's injury would have been a normal one if the bike had been moving slowly," he said. -TOI