In twist in Bengaluru's road rage case, IAF officer now booked for assault
After videos surfaced, IAF officer has been booked based on a counter-complaint filed by call centre employee, previously arrested in the Bengaluru road rage case
In a key twist in the recent Bengaluru road rage case involving an Indian air force officer and his wife, an FIR has now been registered against a 40-year-old Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose.
The IAF officer, who had complained about being attacked by a biker on Bengaluru's roads, has been booked based on a counter-complaint filed by a call centre employee, who was previously arrested on the officer's complaint in a road rage incident, police said on Tuesday (April 22).
Indian Air Force Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose made an allegation in a video that he was attacked and verbally abused by a group of Kannada-speaking individuals who chased him on a bike in Bengaluru early Monday morning.
Terming it a case of road rage, police had arrested Vikas Kumar, who works as a team head at a software company's call centre.
Twist in case
However, CCTV footage and videos recorded by bystanders and police statements revealed that the officer had allegedly initiated the attack.
According to the police, analysis of CCTV camera footage from the area and videos recorded by bystanders showed that the IAF officer Sheeladitya Bose first roughed up the accused and created a scene in public.
Both parties have attacked each other, and some purported videos showed the IAF officer roughing up the accused, creating a scene for the onlookers. The officer was captured engaging in an argument with Kumar and beating him up in full public view, even as his wife tried to stop him.
The assault
Forty-year-old Indian Air Force officer in a video had alleged that he was assaulted and verbally abused by a group of Kannada-speaking individuals who chased him on a bike in Bengaluru early Monday morning. The altercation occurred near Bengaluru's Tin Factory junction.
Also read: IAF officer assaulted, wife abused on Bengaluru road
Bose had portrayed the entire incident as a language-based altercation, which had resulted in him badly injured with blood dripping down his face. He had alleged his wife and he were mercilessly attacked and that he had not responded at all.
In the video, Bose alleged that the biker tried to collide with the car. “When my wife noticed the biker’s reckless driving and tried to avoid him, the biker stopped in front of the car,” he said in the video. Further, the biker attacked him with a stone and keys, he added.
Police said that it was clearly a road rage incident and had nothing to with language tensions.
The road rage incident
Bose and his wife, squadron leader Madhumita Dutta, who are both are employees of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), were on their way to the airport when this incident happened.
Dutta has filed a complaint at the Byappanahalli police station against unknown individuals.
The police had a different version to the story. Dutta accidentally hit a biker while opening the door of the car, ensuing an argument that escalated into physical violence. An altercation broke out between the couple and the bike rider.
Earlier, the police said the accused is in custody and they had lot of video evidence and were proceeding with the investigation.
(With inputs from agencies)