‘We pay the highest tax’: Bengaluru school bus with 20 children nearly topples on pothole-ridden road recently inspected by CM; residents protest

Locals sprinted to the scene, pried open the emergency exit and helped the students climb out safely.

Bengaluru school bus accident Balagere Main Road

Shivakumar, also Karnataka’s public works minister, recently admitted Bengaluru has some 10,000 potholes

A major tragedy was narrowly averted in Bengaluru on Friday morning after a school bus with at least 20 children almost tipped over on the pothole-ridden Balagere Main Road.

Dashcam footage from a car following the bus shows the driver trying to overtake another school bus, from the left. As he swerved, one of the wheels slipped into the soft, waterlogged edge of the road, tilting the vehicle dangerously to one side.

Locals sprinted to the scene, pried open the emergency exit and helped the students climb out safely. Fortunately, no one was hurt, NDTV reported. Images and video of the incident quickly spread online, fuelling anger over the crumbling infrastructure. Residents highlighted the irony that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar had personally inspected this very stretch of road just a few months ago.

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The area is now seeing fresh protests, with homeowners waving placards reading “refund tax, we will build our city.” One resident told NDTV, “That is the only way out because we pay the highest tax. Each of our flats is about Rs 2 crore in this area. But we are not getting the infrastructure we deserve.”

Shivakumar, also Karnataka’s public works minister, recently admitted Bengaluru has some 10,000 potholes. The video of the accident was shared by a local with the caption: “A school bus carrying around 20 kids almost toppled on the crater-filled, slushy Panathur–Balagere road. Children had to be rescued through the back door. Ironically, CM & DyCM had visited and inspected this very stretch just a few months ago.”

Watch the video:

#Bengaluru A school bus carrying around 20 kids almost toppled on the crater-filled, slushy Panathur–Balagere road. Children had to be rescued through the back door. Ironically, CM & DyCM had visited and inspected this very stretch just a few months ago. pic.twitter.com/lL8tUpI1lg

— Hamsaveni.N (@Hamsaa04) September 12, 2025

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Online reactions were split between blaming the driver and holding the government accountable. “Bellandur service roads topped with a thin veneer of tar with great fanfare a couple of months ago are now back to being a hellscape after a couple of showers,” one user wrote.

Another user commented, “Ok by the way what was I driver doing, can’t he be careful or choose different road, we all know about quality of the roads.” A third person pushed back, saying, “Even for this only bus driver will be blamed. Not the crater filled non motorable roads!”

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