BENGALURU: High drama prevailed at the city civil court after an accused in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case cut his wrist and throat before the judge in an attempt to kill himself during a hearing on Tuesday. The wounds inflicted, however, were not grievous in nature and he was later treated and discharged from hospital. The accused Vinod Kumar, a resident of Thanisandra, is an undertrial who was brought to the court for the hearing, and he had tried to gain sympathy from the woman judge.
A senior police officer said Kumar (24) was arrested by Hennur police in 2017 after he had eloped with a 13-year-old girl. The girl’s parents had filed a case of kidnap and rape against Kumar and he was remanded in judicial custody after his arrest.
On Tuesday morning, Kumar was brought to the court, and as the hearing was going on, he took out a blade from his pocket and cut his wrist and neck before the judge. A shocked escort staff rushed him to Victoria Hospital where he was delivered first aid treatment and then discharged before being taken back to jail. The Judge who noticed the incident asked the policemen to take him into judicial custody.
The police officer said Kumar who was working as a photographer came in contact with the girl who hailed from West Bengal. He had eloped with her when her parents had gone to work in an apartment. The parents of the girl who came to know about the incident had filed a case against Kumar.
A senior officer from Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara, said, “Kumar was brought back to jail around 5.30pm after first aid was delivered to him and an investigation is being done by Hennur police to ascertain how he managed to carry a blade into the courtroom.” Hennur police had taken him to the court when the incident took place and another case has been filed against Kumar on the charge of attempt to suicide.