Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered legal action against an Indian Air Officer who was seen exchanging nasty blows with a biker in videos that have now gone viral. An "attempt to murder" case has been filed against Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose after the biker, Vikas Kumar, filed a complaint.
The matter threatened to turn into a language debate with the officer claiming Kumar abused him in Kannada, but the cops have clarified it was a road rage case, and not a language issue.
The claim, however, did not sit well with the government. Noting that the officer had attacked a Kannadiga in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said he went on to make unfounded allegations against Karnataka and Kannadigas.
Read: Twist In Air Force Officer's Assault Case In Bengaluru, New Video Emerges
"This hurt the self-respect of Kannadigas. Kannadigas are people proud of their mother tongue, not haters. Kannadigas do not have the smallness to attack or abuse others regardless of the issue of language," said the Chief Minister. "The culture of Kannada soil, which treats everyone who has come from every corner of the country and settled here with respect and loves them as Kannadigas, is a testament to this," he added.
Siddaramaiah also urged Kannadigas not to take the law into their own hands or get provoked, since he has already asked the police commissioner to take legal action.
"I have ordered the Police Commissioner to take appropriate legal action against the culprits, whoever they may be, and whatever their position, in connection with yesterday's incident. The state government has taken the case very seriously and is committed to providing justice to the wronged person," he added.
The incident comes at the time of a fresh wave of language debate in Karnataka, with several pro-Kannada groups demanding that their mother tongue be prioritised over English and Hindi, especially in Bengaluru that is home to a large number of migrants.
Read: Air Force Officer Charged With 'Attempt To Murder' In Bengaluru Assault Case
The issue snowballed after Wing Commander Bose posted a video online showing blood on his face neck. He alleged the biker stopped near their car when he and his wife were on their way to the airport. His wife, Squadron Leader Madhumita Bose, was also with him at that time. Seeing a DRDO sticker on their car, he abused them, he said.
"The guy started abusing me in Kannada. When he saw the DRDO sticker on my car, he said 'You DRDO people', and abused my wife and me. I couldn't bear it. The moment I got out of my car, he hit me with a key on my forehead, and there was blood," he said.
"This is what Karnataka has become," the Wing Commander complained in his video.
As the officer and his wife appeared as victims, a new video emerged providing a new twist to the assault case. The video showed the officer assaulting Mr Kumar while his wife tried to stop him. Punched by him, Mr Kumar fell to the ground, a video showed.
At least four CCTV footage on the incident have surfaced, with the police confirming that both sides assaulted each other. Both sides have filed complaints against each other.
