A Life Lost, A City in Mourning: 12-Year-Old Boy Killed in Bengaluru Gas Explosion

A Life Lost, A City in Mourning: 12-Year-Old Boy Killed in Bengaluru Gas Explosion

Bengaluru, June 27, 2025 — A heartbreaking silence has gripped the city of Bengaluru after a devastating gas cylinder explosion claimed the life of a young boy, J Vikas, just 12 years old. What should have been an ordinary afternoon turned into a nightmare — a tragedy that now serves as a painful reminder of the hidden hazards lurking in our homes.

Vikas had recently moved with his family from Kalaburagi to Bengaluru in search of a better life. Having paused his education amid the transition, he often visited the home of a family acquaintance, Prasad, in Haralur, where he’d drop in for a warm meal — a simple act of comfort that tragically became his final one.

On the afternoon of June 21, between 3:30 pm and 6:25 pm, a gas leak in a room at Prasad’s home led to a powerful explosion. The blast violently propelled the cylinder across the room, fatally striking young Vikas. Prasad, who was outside at the time, survived the incident.

The call that no parent should ever receive came soon after. Vikas’s distraught family rushed to a private hospital in Koramangala, only to be met with the unimaginable: their son was declared dead on arrival.

In the aftermath of this horrific event, Siddamma, Vikas’s mother, courageously filed a formal complaint seeking justice for her son. The investigation is ongoing, with police examining every possible angle, including negligence and foul play. Yet, as of now, no arrests have been made, and the family remains in limbo — seeking answers amidst grief.

This tragedy has shaken not just one family, but an entire community. It highlights the urgent need for greater awareness and adherence to gas safety protocols, especially in densely populated urban areas like Bengaluru, where rapid development often outpaces safety measures.

The loss of young Vikas is not just a personal tragedy — it is a collective failure to protect the most innocent among us. His story should not be remembered only for its sorrow, but as a call to action — to enforce stricter safety norms, to educate households, and to ensure no family ever endures such pain again.

As Bengaluru mourns, may Vikas’s memory become a lasting symbol of vigilance, reform, and the value of every single life.