Bengaluru IAF officer booked for ‘attempt to murder’ after CCTV footage of attack surfaces

The altercation occurred near Bengaluru's Tin Factory junction on April 22, with police investigating the conflict that escalated from a traffic dispute.

In a dramatic turn in the Bengaluru road rage case, Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose of the Indian Air Force has been reportedly booked for attempt to murder after CCTV footage contradicted his initial claims and showed him physically assaulting a biker. The incident took place early Monday morning, April 22, near Tin Factory junction while Bose and his wife were en route to the airport.

Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose has been booked for 'attempt to murder' by Bengaluru Police. (X/caimanemo333)

According to multiple reports, Bose is currently in Kolkata. Bengaluru Police are expected to summon him soon for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation. The FIR was registered by the Byappanahalli Police based on a complaint filed by the injured biker, Vikas Kumar, a call centre employee.

The FIR includes serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), namely Sections 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).

What happened?

The incident occurred around 6 AM when Bose and his wife, Squadron Leader Madhumita Dutta—both DRDO officers—were heading to catch a flight to Kolkata. Bose later uploaded a video on social media platform X, with a bloodied face, alleging that they were abused by a biker for not speaking in Kannada. He claimed the biker drove recklessly, stopped in front of their vehicle, and attacked them.

Bose said, “I kept shouting and asking people, is this how Karnataka treats people from the armed forces who serve the nation?” He added that local residents didn’t intervene, except for a few senior citizens.

However, CCTV footage tells a different story. The video reportedly shows Bose pinning down Vikas Kumar and repeatedly punching him on the road. Following this, Bengaluru Police dismissed the language angle.

Police: “It was road rage, not about language”

DCP (Bengaluru East) Devraj clarified to reporters that the conflict had nothing to do with Kannada. “This is not a language-related issue. The altercation began when Bose’s wife questioned the biker for coming from the wrong side. It escalated into a scuffle, as we often see in road rage incidents across Bengaluru,” he said.

The DCP also countered Bose’s claim that no one tried to stop the fight. “Our investigation and the footage show that two to three people attempted to intervene and break up the fight,” he added.

Police say they are in the process of collecting more evidence, including footage from dashcams in the area, to piece together the full sequence of events.