After concocting a story of victimhood, to escape action for beating up a delivery boy black and blue, an IAF officer on Wednesday ran into big trouble with his arrest looming on non-bailable charges of attempt to murder.

After CCTV footage emerged that entirely smashed the concocted story that had the potential to create and promote enmity between communities on the language issue, the entire nature of the investigation changed with the police filing an attempt to murder case against the IAF officer, Shiladitya Bose, for the brutal attack on a poor delivery agent in Bengaluru. The case against him has been filed under BNS Sections 109, 115(2), 3034, 324, and 352.

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After the incident was played up by the national television channels that reported the language issue, painting Kannadigas and Karnataka in a poor light, information relating to the case went viral, with scores of people veering around to support the “victim” — IAF officer who played up his defence services linkage and lied that he could have retaliated but did not, portraying himself as a disciplined soldier. But all for just a little while – as minutes after the delivery boy, Vikas Kumar, was arrested, he gave his vision to the police that seemed to have tied up with the ground reality captured by the CCTV cameras installed there. 

The cameras captured the reality as the IAF officer was seen brutally attacking the delivery person, raining blows and pinning him to the ground, and kicking him. For some time, he even had the hapless delivery guy in his vice-like grip, choking him. Had the bystanders not come in and separated the duo, the delivery person could have had even more serious injuries, and it may have been fatal as well, eyewitnesses said. 

Now, on Wednesday, the police have filed an FIR against the IAF officer, and efforts will be made to bring him back to face the allegations and join the investigations.

State Home Minister G Parameshwara took to social media to declare that the accused was absconding in West Bengal and that the police were investigating. 

The allegations against the IAF officer are that he first brutally attacked the biker boy (delivery person), who just retaliated in self-defence. Then the IAF officer lied that he was attacked for not speaking in Kannada, which was a big lie that could’ve led to language and or racial tension. 

He had recorded a video statement that later proved to be false and shared it on social media to discredit Bengaluru and Kannadigas. 

Instead of cancelling his trip and going to the police station, he fled to Kolkata. Many people on social media said that an officer of the military is expected to be more law-abiding than the rest, and what he did amounted to fleeing from the crime scene. He used military privileges to escape prosecution, which itself is a crime. 

Netizens are shocked over the behaviour of the IAF officer and his wife, who is also an officer. After the emergence of the CCTV footage that laid bare the lies of the IAF officer, it remains to be seen how the IAF authorities respond to his case. 

Meanwhile, the police will pursue the attempted murder charges. A case against the IAF officer was filed based on a complaint given by the bike rider, Vikas Kumar. Byappanahalli police station registered the FIR against the air force official.

The bike rider, Vikas Kumar, has already been booked for assault.