Bengaluru rain: How three-year-old girl's ice cream trip turned into a nightmare

A three-year-old girl, Raksha, died after a tree branch fell on her while she was sitting on the fuel tank of her father’s bike during heavy rainfall on Saturday in Pulakeshinagar. Her father had taken her out to buy ice cream to celebrate her brother’s completion of school exams when the incident happened, a TOI report stated.

A short-lived moment of joy

Raksha’s father recalled that she had insisted on accompanying him. “She was adamant about accompanying me,” he said. They went to his brother-in-law’s shop, which was 2km from their home, bought ice cream for the family, and paused to enjoy some together. “She relished her favourite — strawberry ice cream,” he said.

Tree collapse leads to tragedy

Murali D, the father’s brother-in-law, remembered his last words of caution. “I told him to ride cautiously because of the fierce winds,” he said. Soon after, he received a call from his distressed brother-in-law saying a tree had collapsed on them. He rushed to the location and found his brother-in-law trapped under a large tree branch while Raksha was critically injured.

Emergency efforts in vain

“She was bleeding profusely and was unresponsive,” Murali said. With help from locals, they arranged an ambulance and took her to a nearby hospital. She was then referred to Bowring Hospital, where they arrived at 8:30 pm. “She was pronounced dead upon arrival,” he said.

Raksha’s family is devastated by the loss. “She was our precious angel, the daughter we had yearned for, and now she has departed,” Murali said.