 "FIR filed against IAF wing commander: What is the Bengaluru road rage case")
An FIR has been filed against Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose in a road rage incident that occurred in Bengaluru, city police said on Tuesday. The case was registered based on a counter-complaint by Vikas Kumar, who was previously arrested following a complaint by the officer’s wife. The officer had posted a video showing his injuries and accusing Kumar of attacking him. The video quickly went viral, garnering widespread support, however, subsequent evidence has raised questions about this version of events. Here is everything known so far about the incident so far.
IAF officer claims Kannada language row triggered attack
The incident occurred around 6 am when the couple, both IAF officers, were headed to the airport from the DRDO enclave in C V Raman Nagar.
“An altercation took place between them. Both attacked each other. Around 6 am, the Air Force officer was heading from his DRDO quarters to Kempegowda International Airport. His wife was driving, and he was seated beside her,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Devaraj D confirmed.
Dutta, who was driving the car, said they were near Old Madras Road when a two-wheeler rider approached their vehicle and allegedly began an altercation. She stated in her complaint that Kumar had been riding rashly, almost hitting their car, and later returned with a stone, attacking her husband while shouting, “This is Kannada land, I will see you.”
“Unknown persons came again from the back and dragged him onto the road. The locals were speaking Kannada and thrashed my husband,” she mentioned.
Viral video shows injured IAF officer
Meanwhile, Bose recorded and shared a now-viral video documenting the incident, in which the injuries to his face and head are clearly visible. Recalling the event, he explained, “A bike came up from behind and stopped our car. The rider then began abusing me in Kannada. When they noticed the DRDO sticker on my car, they said, ‘You DRDO people’ and started abusing my wife. I couldn’t tolerate it. The moment I stepped out of my car, the biker struck me on the forehead with a key, and I began to bleed.”
Bose continued, “I stood there, shouting, ‘This is how you treat the people who defend you — the army, air force, and navy?’ Surprisingly, more people gathered and began abusing us, too. The man then picked up a stone and tried to smash my car window, but it ended up hitting me in the head... this is the result.”
He added, “Fortunately, my wife was there to pull me away, and we went to the police station to file a complaint, but there’s been no response from them.” Bose concluded, “This is what Karnataka has come to. I couldn’t believe it. God help us, and grant me the strength not to retaliate. But if law and order fail us, I will take matters into my own hands.”
The video has since been removed from the the officer's social media page.
Bike rider arrest
The police identified Vikas Kumar as the person riding the bike. Kumar, a call centre team lead, was arrested shortly after the FIR was filed by Dutta on Monday. However, police began reviewing video footage after the incident gained attention online.
CCTV, bystanders tell a different story
Videos recorded by bystanders and CCTV clips painted a more complicated picture. One video showed Bose getting out of the car, aggressively confronting Kumar, and physically assaulting him in full public view.
In the footage, Dutta is seen attempting to intervene and stop the attack. Another clip appeared to show Bose dragging Kumar toward the side of the road. Kumar was not visibly armed, nor did the footage show any assault from his side at that point. This led to a FIR being registered against Bose.
The DCP said, Bose was advised by the station headquarters officer to seek first aid, as he was bleeding, before registering the complaint. “But since he was getting late, he left for the airport. Once he went live on social media, we found out. We traced Madhumita’s details and approached the DRDO quarters. She came to the station and lodged a complaint,” he said.
Police say they have collected several videos and are analysing CCTV footage to determine how the altercation unfolded.
Kumar claims the IAF officer started the row
In his version of the events, Kumar told police that he was passing by when the woman allegedly made a remark, prompting him to stop and ask the officer what was said. The situation then escalated into a physical confrontation.
Kumar’s family demands justice
Following the FIR against her son, Kumar’s mother, Jyothi, released a video statement demanding justice. “Being a commander, an IAF officer, he thrashed my son and also damaged his bike. We didn’t file a complaint at first, thinking it was a small issue. But now they have made it a big issue and are troubling my son.”
Both cases are now being investigated under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
[With agency inputs]