Even while CCTV footage revealed that Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose was assaulting Vikas Kumar SJ, the FIR has not named the officer or his wife, Madhumita Das, a Squadron Leader.
Published Apr 23, 2025 | 11:30 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 23, 2025 | 11:30 AM
IAF officer assaulting the biker. (Screengrab)
Synopsis: A day after Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose allegedly assaulted Vikas Kumar in a road rage incident, pro-Kannada groups and Vikas’s family gathered at Baiyappanahalli police station demanding a fair investigation. They called for Bose’s interrogation and a separate FIR. Vikas’s mother, Jyothi, expressed concern over her son’s custody and said she just wants him safely back home.
On Tuesday, 22 April, a day after the road rage incident in Bengaluru involving an Indian Air Force Wing Commander — which he described as an attack by a pro-Kannada activist — the opposing party demanded strict legal action against him.
Even while CCTV footage revealed that Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose was assaulting Vikas Kumar SJ, the FIR has not named the officer or his wife, Madhumita Das, a Squadron Leader.
Initially, Bose took to social media, claiming that he was assaulted for not speaking in Kannada. However, CCTV visuals showed him attacking Vikas Kumar, a BPO employee, in a suspected road rage incident.
Several people and pro-Kannada supporters, including Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Namma Naadu Namma Alvike founder Arun Javagal, Vikas Kumar’s mother Jyothi and Advocate Anil Kumar, gathered at the Baiyappanahalli Police Station, demanding action against the Air Force officer.
They demanded that Bose be brought to the police station for an inquiry into the road rage issue, similar to how Vikas Kumar was detained.
When South First visited Baiyappanahalli Police Station, they were demanding that the police file a separate FIR against the wing commander for assaulting Vikas Kumar.
Jyothi, mother of Vikas Kumar, said, “I met him only once on Monday evening. I have been waiting at the police station since 8 am (on Tuesday). They are not telling me about his whereabouts, I am worried for him. We did not know a wing commander was involved in this fight, and this issue would become this big. When my son came home and told me about this fight, I told him not to be involved in these fights. The police officials also said that we should have come forward to file the complaint first. Now that we have filed a counter complaint and FIR, we will see what happens. I just want my son to come home.”
While Jyothi was speaking with South First, the police took her to Indiranagar Police Station to meet her son.
Meanwhile, Ajay Kumar, the lawyer representing Vikas Kumar, said, “Vikas’s mother called us and informed us that he was arrested by the police. When we came to the station, he was made to sit inside one of the rooms. The police did not even take him for a medical check-up. Later, these videos of Shiladitya Bose hitting Vikas brutally went viral on social media.”
“First, we asked the police officials to file a complaint against Shiladitya, but they were stubborn and refused to do that. At 8.30 pm, Vikas was taken for spot mahazar. We had to pressure the police a long time before they filed the counter-complaint. My question was simple: why were the police in favour of the wing commander? While they can register a complaint and an FIR so easily against a civilian, why not against the wing commander? What was stopping them?” the lawyer asked.
Ajay Kumar even highlighted how the police failed to take a medical report from Shiladitya’s wife, Madhumita, about his treatment or first aid at Chinmaya Mission Hospital.
He said, “They registered a complaint and FIR, but neither did they collect a medical report from Shiladitya, nor did his wife submit one. We repeatedly asked the police to take Vikas for a medical check-up until 10.30 am, but received no update. The police only visited the spot after CCTV footage of Shiladitya hitting Vikas went viral. Had they acted promptly, this wouldn’t have escalated. Meanwhile, the wing commander even travelled between international airports.”
Until 11.30 am the police had neither given notice nor a station bail. Ajay said, “If they were going to produce him to the court, I would have applied for bail and get him released.”
However, the police refuted the claims made by the lawyer.
Sudharshan HV, Inspector at Indira Nagar Police Station, said Vikas was taken for medical check up to a government hospital in CV Raman Nagar on Monday night. He said, “Of course, we took him to the hospital for medical check up.”
When asked if Shiladtiya and Madhumita had come forward to file a complaint, Sudharshan said, “They came to the station and intimated us about the incident and left. They were in a hurry, rushing to the airport. We can’t file a complaint or an FIR based on an intimation or if they say something orally. They have to give it to us in writing. After the videos of Shiladitya went viral, Madhumita was contacted by the police station. She came forward and filed a complaint with us, following which an FIR was registered against Vikas.”
Arun Javagal, founder of Namma Naadu Namma Alvike, went to the Baiyappanahalli Police Station, sensing there was more to this case than just a language row.
He said, “I was here as soon as the videos of Shiladitya hitting Vikas went viral. We got him food to eat. We kept forcing the police to take him for a medical check-up. But he was not taken. Around 3.45 am on 22 April, they showed us the copy of the complaint after we asked them for an acknowledgement. Registering an FIR was another herculean task. They kept saying the server was busy, the internet was slow, the computer was off, technical problems and the printer was not working. Finally, in the morning after 9 am on Tuesday, they registered an FIR.”
Arun added, “We did not tell the police to drop the charges against Vikas. All we asked, since the language issue was brought here, even though it was a road rage case, the police were to file a complaint against the wing commander.”
Meanwhile, when other relatives of Vikas Kumar reached Baiyappanahalli Police Station, Jyothi, who was taken to Indira Nagar Police Station, said them that he was released and they were en route home.
Officials at the Indira Nagar Police Station told South First that Vikas Kumar was released on station bail.
Halasuru Sub-division Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) T Rangappa told South First, “We have released him on station bail on certain conditions according to the rules of the Supreme Court. This is a road rage issue, and it will be investigated further. He has to come for further interrogation, but the day has not been fixed yet.”
However, Rangappa was unsure whether the wing commander would be arrested or not. When asked if they would arrest him or detain him for interrogation, Rangappa said, “We will interrogate him as there is a counter complaint and FIR against him. Shiladitya will also be taken for spot mahajar.”
Bose also mentioned in one video that he would post the dash cam video soon on social media. When asked if it was submitted to the police, Rangappa said, “No, they have not submitted the dash cam video to us.”
The FIR filed at the Byappanahalli Police Station, against the driver of the car without mentioning any name, includes charges of attempted murder.
Following the complaint by Vikas Kumar, an FIR was filed under sections 109 (attempt to murder), 115(2) (attempt to commit an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life), 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 352 (assault or use of criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Meanwhile, Arun highlighted how their requests fell on the deaf ears of the police. He said, “The FIR has been registered against the driver of the car. So, who do we assume was the driver of the car? It seems like the police are also ignoring us. Until morning, the police have not given us any information, nor answered our questions. They were simply ignoring us.”
While the Bengaluru police have registered an FIR based on Vikas Kumar’s complaint, they have not mentioned Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose or his wife, Squadron Leader Madhumita Das, in it. The FIR registered by the Baiyappanahalli Police Station shows that it is registered against the driver of the car, not specifying any name.
The video, which Bose recorded and posted on social media, clearly showed his wife driving the car. He also mentioned that his wife was driving the car.
When South First tried to contact Vikas Kumar, sources close to this family said, he and his mother have been asked by the police not to speak about the incident.
Menwhile, Rangappa clarification why the wing commander’s name was absent in the FIR: “In future, when we collect more evidence and when interrogations happen, we will include the name. Since Vikas did not know the names, it was mentioned as driver of the car. We will include the names as the investigation proceeds.”
Bengaluru East Division Deputy Commissioner of Police D Devaraja said, “We will send a notice to the wing commander. Even he will be interrogated. But we will also check if there are protocols to follow while sending notices and interrogating Indian Air Force officials.”
After Vikas was released on station bail, a separate police complaint was filed by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedika Vice President Anjanappa.
Arun, who was part of the group that filed the complaint, said, “We know that the police will not file an FIR for causing unrest in the state on the linguistic basis and criticising people of the land. Therefore, we will give them a day so that they can decide on this. On Thursday, we will meet the DCP East Devaraja and check on the status of this complaint. We are going to follow it up strictly because next time, language should not be blamed in personal fights.”
In the complaint, Anjanappa said, “I have been working for 26 years for the cause of Karnataka state, land and language. On 21 April, Shiladitya Bose, in his personal fight with another person, criticised the state and the Kannada language. He spread fake rumours, posing Kannadigas or people of this state as guilty. Following this, national media also portrayed Kannada people and local police here as rowdy and goons.”
The complaint stated it led to unrest and peace in the state by dividing people on a language basis. “The attempt to portray people of the state in a bad light through this personal incident has hurt my sentiments. That is why I am filing a police complaint with Baiyappanahalli police,” Anjanappa said.
The complaint also demanded proper legal action against Wing Commander Bose for violation of Section 45 of Air Force Act, 1945 and Section 196 of BNS for provoking and causing unrest on the linguistic basis.
Section 45 of the Air Force Act states, “Any officer or warrant officer who behaves in a manner unbecoming his position and the character expected of him shall, on conviction by court-martial, if he is an officer, be liable to be cashiered or to suffer such less punishment as is in this Act mentioned; and if he is a warrant officer, be liable to be dismissed or to suffer such less punishment as in this act mentioned.”
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
