Security guard killed as iron gate collapses in Bagalagunte

A 49-year-old security guard was killed after an iron gate of a commercial establishment collapsed on him at Bagalagunte on Thursday.

The deceased has been identified as Swamy, who had joined work as a security guard about five months ago. He is survived by his wife, a domestic help, and two daughters.

According to the police, the incident came to light when passers-by noticed Swamy lying in a pool of blood under the collapsed gate and alerted the authorities. Police personnel shifted the body for post-mortem..

A case of unnatural death has been registered, and investigation is under way to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.

The incident adds to a series of similar fatal accidents involving iron gates in the city over the years, raising concerns over safety standards and maintenance.

In September 2025, an 11-year-old boy, Niranjan, a class 5 student and a resident of Dattatreya Temple Street, died after sustaining severe head injuries when an iron gate at a playground in Malleswaram crashed on him.

Earlier, in July 2019, a 24-year-old security guard was killed and two others were injured when a newly installed iron gate weighing about 500 kg fell on them at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) campus on C.V. Raman Road.

In another tragic incident in March 2018, a 12-year-old boy, Manjunath died after a sliding gate of a private software firm in Jayanagar collapsed on him. Manjunath, a class 6 student of Vijaya Kannada Higher Primary School and a resident of Jayanagar 6th Block, was returning home from school at the time. The police said the boy and his friends had stopped to play near the sliding gate of the IT company which was mounted on trolley wheels along a railing. When the children pushed the gate, the wheels reportedly slipped off the railing, causing the heavy structure to fall on Manjunath.

Civic activists have repeatedly flagged the lack of regular inspection and safety audits of heavy iron gates at commercial establishments, playgrounds and institutional premises, warning that such lapses continue to pose serious risks, particularly to children and security staff.