Police official succumbs to bullet wounds

A Police official died of bullet wounds which he had suffered in an encounter with an alleged criminal here, even as tension prevailed here with protests over government not taking him to London for treatment.
Police Sub-Inspector Mallikarjun Bande (40) died late last night at a hospital in Hyderabad where he was shifted from Gulbarga on January 9 after he sustained head injuries and had been kept on ventilator.
"He (Bande) died at around 12.40 AM while undergoing treatment," hospital sources said in Hyderabad.
An ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh would be given to the next of kin of Bande, Home Minister K J George told reporters here, adding government will give financial support for the education of two children of the deceased police official.

The situation in Gulbarga remained tense as protests were staged against government for not airlifting him to London for better treatment. They also demanded increase in ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh to Rs one crore for the bereaved family.
Police said they have taken all measures to prevent any untoward incident in view of Bande's death.

Police said 15 platoons of KSRP and 10 District Armed Reserve police battalion have been deployed in Gulbarga and other sensitive areas including Khajuri in Aland taluk, the native village of Bande, as a precautionary measure.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in Mysore that they did not shift Bande to London for better treatment on doctors' advice. "Doctors said it was not advisable for shifting Bande in a state of coma, and hence we did not."

Bande's wife Mallamma had requested the government to airlift her husband to the hospital in London that treated iconic Pakistan schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who received a similar injury, when the Taliban shot her in the head.
Former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who recently rejoined BJP, demanded higher compensation for the bereaved family and said the party would launch an agitation in Gulbarga tomorrow.
Bande, known for daredevilry in dealing with criminals, had undergone surgery for removal of two bullets in his head (near brain) at a hospital in Gulbarga earlier, after he and another policeman were injured in the shootout with alleged criminal Munna Darbar, who was also shot dead, on January 8.