“This is Kannada land!”: IAF officer booked after Bengaluru road rage incident turns physical

An altercation between an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer and a call centre employee has spiralled into a legal dispute, with both parties now lodging complaints with the police. The incident occurred in Bengaluru on Monday morning, when Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose was allegedly attacked during a road rage incident.

What happened on the road?

The confrontation unfolded around 6:20 am, when Wing Commander Bose, accompanied by his wife, Squadron Leader Madhumita Dutta, was on their way to the airport. As the couple was travelling from their DRDO quarters in CV Raman Nagar, their car was nearly hit by a two-wheeler on Old Madras Road. According to the police report, the biker forced the car to stop and engaged in a verbal altercation with the IAF couple.

In a video shared by Wing Commander Bose, he claimed that he was verbally abused in Kannada and attacked by the rider. "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," he commented, visibly injured with blood on his forehead and nose. The video quickly spread on social media, intensifying the public reaction.

A counter-complaint and legal consequences

In a twist to the incident, the call centre employee, Vikas Kumar, lodged a counter-complaint against the officer. Kumar, who works as a team head at a software company’s call centre, alleged that he was also assaulted by the IAF officer during the altercation. His mother, Jyothi, voiced her concerns in a video statement, claiming, "Even after doing all this, if we had given a complaint against the officer, it would have become a big issue. But we didn't initially give a police complaint... I want justice for my son."


Kumar’s complaint has prompted the police to register an FIR against Wing Commander Bose, and the officer has also been questioned by law enforcement. Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), D Devaraj, confirmed the registration of the case and noted that evidence from CCTV footage and bystander videos would play a crucial role in the ongoing investigation.

Police findings and clarification

Police have reviewed footage from CCTV cameras along the route and videos captured by onlookers. These have revealed that both parties were involved in a physical altercation, contrary to the initial claims made by Wing Commander Bose. The IAF officer, who had initially said he showed restraint during the attack, is seen in the video physically engaging with the biker after the verbal exchange escalated into violence.

DCP Devaraj clarified that this was a "clear cut case of road rage," with no indication that the incident was driven by regional or language tensions, as initially suggested by Bose. "From the facts and evidence collated, this is a case we see every day in Bengaluru," he explained.

The role of the IAF officer’s wife

Squadron Leader Madhumita Dutta, who was driving the car at the time of the incident, also filed a complaint, detailing the sequence of events leading up to the altercation. In her statement, she mentioned that after the initial confrontation, the biker returned and struck her husband with a stone. She further claimed that local Kannada speakers became involved, with some of them reportedly assaulting her husband on the road.

The police have since arrested Vikas Kumar, based on the counter-complaint filed by the IAF officer’s wife. The situation has drawn significant public attention, with many expressing concerns over the nature of the altercation and the implications for law and order in the city.

This incident has sparked discussions about road rage, regional tensions, and the role of social media in amplifying such conflicts. While the police have urged calm and emphasised that the case is not related to any regional or linguistic issue, public opinion remains divided. Videos of the confrontation, along with the personal accounts of both parties, continue to circulate on social media, fuelling a heated debate.

The police have assured that the investigation will continue, with more evidence being gathered before any final conclusions are drawn. Both Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose and Vikas Kumar are expected to be questioned further as the case unfolds.