BENGALURU: A 28-year-old man from Nalluru village in Channarayapatna, who attempted suicide in front of Vidhana Soudha last Wednesday, is said to be battling for life at Bowring Hospital.
The victim, R Shekhar, a real estate agent, was said to be upset over police brutality after the staff of a bar and restaurant allegedly filed a false complaint against him. Shekhar’s mother Sujatha and brother Abhilash told the media that Shekhar is in ICU and his chances of his survival are less.
“An assistant police sub-inspector, policemen and a home guard beat up Shekhar on March 9 after the bar staff complained that he did not pay the bill of Rs 585. Shekhar had consumed liquor and paid the bill through UPI. But the staff claimed the payment had not been made and called the police, who allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 from him. When he refused, he was taken to a school ground and beaten up. My brother sustained injuries and filed a complaint against the policemen with senior officers of the Bengaluru Rural police. As no action was taken, he came near Vidhana Soudha and consumed poison,” Abhilash said.
A senior police officer said Shekar’s father M Ramakrishna works as a home guard in one of the traffic police stations in Bengaluru. “Claiming to be the son of a police inspector, Shekhar reportedly consumed alcohol and did not pay the bill, the bar staff said. When the policemen reached the bar, they found him totally drunk. While taking him to the station, he started showing signs of uneasiness. The policemen stopped near the school ground and called his parents to take him home. The allegations of police brutality are false and baseless,” he added.
Last Wednesday, Shekhar came near Vidhana Soudha with a backpack and pulled out a poster mentioning the brutality of the Channarayapatna police. He told the policemen outside Vidhana Soudha that he had consumed poison and was shifted to Bowring Hospital.