Clash between Bengaluru biker and IAF officer snowballs into language row
A road-rage incident involving a biker and an Indian Air Force (IAF) couple in east Bengaluru snowballed into a language controversy Monday with a Wing Commander, who was travelling in a car along with his wife, alleging he was abused in Kannada before being assaulted without any provocation.
The bleeding Wing Commander commented: “This is what Karnataka has become. I believed in Kannada, but seeing the truth of main heartland Karnataka, I could not believe it. God help us.”
Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose put out a video claiming he had shown restraint when attacked, he said, “God gave me the power not to retaliate.” His video triggered terse reactions with netizens slamming Kannada-speaking Bengalureans for targeting outsiders. Before the city got branded negatively, police arrested the biker, who maintained he was actually the one who was brutally attacked and not otherwise. When police analysed the video footage from various CCTV cameras, a shocking discovery unfolded: Bose is seen bashing up and tossing down the biker after the verbal duel turns physical.
Deputy commissioner of police (Bengaluru East) D Devaraj said: “We want to make it clear that this is not a case related to any language or region. From the facts and evidence collated, this is a clear cut case of road rage which we see every day in Bengaluru.”
The high-voltage drama unfolded around 6.20am Monday when Bose and his wife Madhumita Dutta, both residents of DRDO Phase-1 Township in CV Raman Nagar, were driving towards Old Madras Road as the former was leaving for the airport to go to Kolkata. Madhumita is a squadron leader, attached to ADA.
In her complaint to Baiyappanahalli police, Madhumita stated she was going to drop her husband when a rashly driven bike (KA53-EA528) almost hit her car.
