A temple visit on Guru Purnima turned into a life-altering accident for a 58-year-old government school headmaster when a tree suddenly collapsed on him near Bunts Sangha in Vijayanagar, Bengaluru, on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident occurred around 1.30 pm near Attiguppe Metro station. Balaji T, a headmaster of a school in Ramanagara and resident of Vijayanagar, was on his way back from a nearby temple. He met one of his students and stopped to speak with her when the tree came crashing down. According to family, Balaji heard the sound of the tree cracking but had no time to react before it fell.
The headmaster suffered a severe spinal injury and is in a critical condition as doctors perform major spinal surgery. He was initially rushed to a hospital in Chandra Layout, where X-rays revealed a serious spinal injury. Doctors advised emergency surgery, following which he was shifted to a specialised orthopaedic hospital in Kengeri.
The student, Rohini, suffered a minor head injury, received treatment at a nearby hospital and was discharged Wednesday night.
Residents said the tree had become dangerous and complaints had been made about it several times. “Its base had been covered with concrete, preventing rainwater from percolating into the soil. We believe this weakened the tree,” said T Ramu, secretary of Vijayanagar Citizens’ Forum.
Balaji’s brother, Lakshmipathi T, said the injury has left the family deeply worried about his recovery and the mounting medical expenses. “He has no sensation below the waist. It is a major surgery to stabilise his spine, and specialist doctors from Manipal and other multispeciality hospitals have been called in. The government insurance covers only around Rs 2 lakh, while the surgery alone will cost over Rs 4.5 lakh,” he said.
GBA chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao claimed he was unaware of the case, but added the corporation generally bears the treatment cost in such cases. GBA’s deputy conservator of forests, Sudarshan GK, visited the victim at the hospital on Thursday.
Tree collapses on headmaster after Guru Purnima temple visit in Bengaluru; severe spinal injury, critical condition.
