Bengaluru road rage case: Karnataka HC directs police not to arrest IAF officer, asks petitioner to cooperate with probe

“Respondent No.1 shall not take any coercive action and shall not summon the petitioner without following due procedure of law. The petitioner shall cooperate with the investigation,” a single-judge bench of the high court said in its order. The court also said that the police “shall not submit the charge sheet without leave of this court”.

The IAF officer had initially claimed on social media that he was attacked for not speaking in the local Kannada language. After CCTV footage revealed that he was not at the receiving end of the violence, pro-Kannada groups came out in support of the local call centre employee and demanded the arrest of the IAF officer.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also directed the Bengaluru City police to take stringent action in the matter. “I have instructed the Commissioner of Police to take appropriate legal action against the individuals involved, irrespective of their position or rank. The state government is treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and is committed to ensuring justice for the victim,” Siddaramaiah said on April 22.

The road rage incident occurred on the morning of April 21 when a car driven by the IAF officer’s wife, Squadron Leader Madhumita Dutta, was involved in a minor traffic incident with the motorcycle of the call centre worker Vikas Kumar, 27. Based on a complaint filed by Sq Ldr Dutta, the Bengaluru police registered a case of assault on her husband, and arrested Kumar that evening. The complaint said the IAF officer was attacked on the grounds that he did not speak Kannada.

A counter-complaint of assault and attempt to murder was filed by Kumar against the IAF officer, and a First Information Report (FIR) was registered on Monday night. Kumar’s complaint said Wg Cdr Bose claimed to be in the Air Force and warned him against picking a fight.

CCTV footage from the site of the incident, accessed by the local police, indicated that the IAF officer thrashed Kumar on the road and the sidewalk after the alleged road rage incident.

The office of the Defence PRO in Bengaluru described the incident as “unfortunate” and stated that the IAF was cooperating with authorities. “The lAF is assisting the local authorities in investigating and following up the case to its lawful resolution,” said the statement issued on April 22.