Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has addressed the recent road rage incident in Bengaluru, involving an IAF officer who was allegedly attacked by a Kannadiga, identified as Vikas Kumar, for not speaking in Kannada. Responding to the controversy, the CM urged Kannadigas not to react to provocation and to uphold peace and lawfulness in the state.

The incident gained attention after Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose narrated his side of the story on Instagram, and his wife filed a police complaint. Based on their claims, Kumar was arrested. However, viral CCTV footage later showed a different sequence of events, with Bose seen kicking and punching Kumar during the altercation. In light of this, police have now registered an attempt to murder case against the IAF officer.

Bengaluru road rage incident: What did Siddaramaiah say?

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the IAF officer for defaming the entire state with provocative claims. “He [IAF officer] made unwarranted and derogatory remarks about Karnataka and Kannadigas on social media, displaying conduct that is deeply disrespectful and inflammatory. Kannadigas are proud of their mother tongue, but they are not parochial or intolerant. It is not in our culture to attack or abuse others over linguistic matters,” he said, adding that the state has a long history of inclusivity. 

He added, “I urge all Kannadigas not to succumb to provocation or emotion. Let us uphold the law and maintain peace. Karnataka is governed by a government elected by the people of this land, and it stands firmly for justice and dignity,” directing police to “take appropriate legal action against the individuals involved”.

Police arrest Vikas Kumar

Bengaluru Police have arrested Vikas Kumar for allegedly assaulting Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose, who is currently posted with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), following a road rage incident on Monday. At the time, he was accompanied by his wife, Squadron Leader Madhumita Dutta.

“…This is not a case related to any language or region. This is very clear from the facts and evidence collected from the morning. It is a clear-cut case of road rage, which is very common in Bengaluru. Both of them could have avoided this,” D Devaraj, Bengaluru East DCP, said. 

“When this altercation was taking place, 6-7 youngsters tried to separate the two people and stop the fight. They tried their level best to pacify both of them… When the lady officer, Madhumita Das, was driving, this guy was coming from the opposite direction… This was the root cause… Then the officer got out of the car, and they had a fight. One guy, Vikas Kumar, has been arrested…,” he added.

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Since Bose had to travel to Kolkata for his father’s surgery, his wife lodged a complaint at the Baiyappanahalli Police Station. “You’re from the DRDO. I can see the sticker. This is Kannada land; just watch what I do,” Madhumita quoted the man who allegedly attacked her husband in her complaint. 

The police later converted her complaint into an FIR, after which they arrested Vikas Kumar.

IAF officer assaulted in Bengaluru: What has happened?

An IAF officer alleged that he was assaulted in Bengaluru for not speaking Kannada, despite his support for the Kannadiga cause. He claimed, in a video on Instagram, to have been attacked twice, once with a key and later with a stone, all while bleeding profusely from his injuries.

“Today morning, my wife was driving me to the airport. And suddenly, one bike came from behind, stopped in between, and stopped our way. He started abusing me in Kannada. When he saw the DRDO sticker on my car, he started saying many things in Kannada and then finally abused my wife,” he said in the video. 

He claimed that he stepped out of the car when the man insulted his wife, at which point the attacker allegedly slashed his forehead with a key, hit his head with a stone later, and even bit his finger during the scuffle. 

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“This is what Karnataka has become. I believed in the Kannadiga cause, but seeing the truth, the reality of the main heartland Karnataka, I couldn’t believe it,” he expressed, before pleading, “God help us.”

CCTV footage paints a different story

The CCTV footage from the scene where the incident took place suggests a different version of the event. One of the videos shows the IAF officer assaulting the man wearing a green jacket and a helmet as his wife tries to intervene and stop the altercation. Onlookers eventually step in to separate the two. However, the IAF officer started throwing punches at him again. 

Another shows the IAF officer beating the man he accused of assaulting him with kicks repeatedly in the middle of the road. He even got a chokehold on him at one point.

Another clip shows the officer repeatedly kicking the same man in the middle of the road. A third video captures the couple approaching the man, engaging in a verbal exchange. The man then appears to throw away his bike keys and belongings, and later takes photos of his number plate. His wife films him, apparently to share their version of the story.

“The eye witnesses claim that it was a road rage after which an altercation happened and the IAF guy was bleeding, soon after the IAF officer stopped the car at a distance, came back to the spot and beat up the Swiggy delivery boy,” according to Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News.