Bangalore: Police sub-inspector Mallikarjun Bande’s death gives rise to conspiracy theories

www.mangaloretoday.com

Gulbarga, Jan 16, 2014(DNA): The district of Gulbarga has been shrouded in conspiracy theories in the wake of police sub-inspector Mallikarjun Bande’s death on Wednesday. Fringe groups protesting against the action taken by the government in providing appropriate medical treatment to Bande have demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident.

Bande sustained head injuries in a shootout with rowdy Munna Darbadar on January 8. Some of the protesting groups alleged that inspector general of police Wazir Ahmed had instructed Bande not to open fire at Munna. They raised suspicions on the intentions behind such a move.

Some of the police personnel alleged that Bande, who was a PSI with the law and order branch of Humnabad police station, was transferred to the crime branch by certain vested political interests who wanted to ‘teach him a lesson’ for being diligent at his work. However, Bande took the task as a challenge even though he faced a lot of hurdles from anti-social elements, they said.

According to the founder of Yuva Kesari Sanghatane, Raju Bhavani, Bande was a prime target of the underworld and the land mafia and had little support from his higher-ups in countering them.

Bande breathed his last at Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital in Hyderabad. Though the state government had proposed to shift Bande to the UK for further treatment, the proposal was put off as doctors advised against it, citing his critical state of health. The government remained unresponsive to the demand of inviting foreign experts to treat Bande in Hyderabad, supplementing the controversy theories.

None of Bande’s seniors or politicians visited the hospital for more than 12 hours after the reports of his death were confirmed.

Though the government did assure to shift Bande’s body from Hyderabad to Gulbarga following pressure from the public, his relatives lashed out against the authorities concerned for making unilateral decisions and not consulting them before deciding the course of action following his death.

Bande’s brother Prabhugouda Bande appealed the government not to create hurdles if it cannot help. Home minister KJ George and additional director general of police MN Reddy insisted that it would take about four-and-half hours to bring the body to Gulbarga by road, completely leaving out the option of flying his body in a helicopter.

Irked by the developments, various organisations and people took to the streets, demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident. Blocking roads, rallies, burning tyres, and staging demonstrations against the government were the prevailing scenes throughout the region on Wednesday.

The last lunch
It was while Bande was having lunch on January 8 that he received an SMS that criminal Munna Darbadar was holed up in house in Chhota Devadi. He immediately alerted other policemen and rushed to the spot himself, without finishing the food. The plate was cleared only by evening when his family learnt about his injury.