A Pothole, Crushed Ankle, And Rs 2 Lakh Hospital Bill: Bengaluru Road Horror

A pothole has led to a freak accident and left a woman with a crushed ankle, an emergency surgery, and a hefty hospital bill in IT hub Bengaluru. Aishani Khanna, who works in the private sector, was riding to her office when her scooter hit a pothole and left her with serious injuries last month. The hospital bill was nearly Rs 2 lakh.

Khanna shared her ordeal on X and appealed to the authorities to fix the roads.

hidden pothole on Varthur road cost me a crushed ankle, emergency plastic surgery, 5 days in hospital, and₹1.97L.This could happen to ANY of us tomorrow.Fix the roads now!@BBMPCOMM @GBA_office @krishnabgowda @BangaloreMirror @BangaloreTimes1 @BangaloreBuzz #bloreroads @gkcs_ pic.twitter.com/b5z4X2akmr

— Aishani Khanna (@Aishani_Khanna) September 4, 2026

"(A) hidden pothole on Varthur Road cost me a crushed ankle, emergency plastic surgery, 5 days in hospital, and Rs 1.97L. This could happen to ANY of us tomorrow. Fix the roads now," her post read.

As she now recovers, she shares with NDTV what unfolded on August 20.

Read: "Is Road-Making Rocket Science?": Bengaluru Development Minister On Potholes

Khanna was on her scooter when the accident occurred on the Whitefield-Varthur road near Nexus Mall. She had taken the Varthur route since she had to run an errand on her way to the office. She says she was well aware of the condition of the road and riding cautiously until one pothole slipped out of her sight.

"It was about noon and raining pretty hard. I was on my two-wheeler and didn't see a pothole. I was up in the air for two or three seconds. I fell, and the scooter fell on me. I suffered seven or eight deep cuts or abrasions on my left ankle, which only plastic surgeons would look into," she says.

#BREAKING | Bengaluru woman claims pothole left her with crushed ankle and Rs 1.97 lakh bill

NDTV's @AdityaRajKaul speaks to Aishani Khanna, accident victim pic.twitter.com/WHCLIRBMOm

— NDTV (@ndtv) September 5, 2026

The accident landed her in the hospital, where she would spend the next five days. At the end came a hefty medical bill of Rs 1.97 lakh. But that isn't over yet. She may have to undergo a second surgery depending on how she heals.

Besides hospital expenses, trauma adds to Khanna's troubles.

"It's not just the physical trauma that I went through. It was a lot of mental trauma and financial burden because it was very uncalled for," she says.

Read: Bengaluru Man Almost Run Over By Tanker After Bike Hits Pothole

Khanna describes the breakdown in civic infrastructure as a "sad state of affairs". Pointing out that she had been living in Bengaluru for 30 years, she says she has seen the situation turn from bad to worse.

"There is absolutely no road, just potholes," says a dejected Khanna, appealing to the government to ensure better roads.

Civic infrastructure in Bengaluru has often courted criticism, with authorities facing residents' anger over pothole-ridden roads and inefficient traffic management. Known as the Silicon Valley of India, the city's poor and broken roads have emerged as a huge embarrassment for the authorities over the years.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has on several occasions assured the residents that potholes were being filled.