IAS officer booked for assault on police at bar and restaurant in Bengaluru

An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre and three others have been booked for allegedly assaulting a police inspector and other police personnel, abusing them, and obstructing them from discharging their duty during a late-night inspection at a pub in Bengaluru.

The case was registered at Cubbon Park police station on October 10 against Vikas Marmat, an IAS officer serving as Special Officer of the Kuppam Area Development Authority, and three others identified as Abhay Uday Singh, Nitish, and Roshan.

What FIR states

According to the FIR, the incident occurred between 1 a.m. and 1.30 a.m. on October 10 at Cavore, a bar and restaurant on Residency Road, within the Cubbon Park police station limits.

Police Inspector Arun Salunke of the Special Enquiry Wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB), Bengaluru City Police, who is the complainant, stated that he and his team were inspecting bars and restaurants under the Cubbon Park and Ashok Nagar police station limits on the directions of the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner.

When the team reached Cavore around 1.30 a.m. and began checking identity cards of customers to verify their age, four men allegedly picked a quarrel with the police personnel.

The group of men allegedly used foul language, assaulted the inspector and his colleagues, and threatened them, besides obstructed the police from performing their duties, the complaint states.

Sections of BNS

The FIR has been registered under Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

The inspector reportedly underwent medical treatment following the alleged assault and subsequently approached the Cubbon Park Police to lodge the complaint. The FIR records that he had been on duty throughout October 9 and submitted the complaint after receiving treatment and taking rest.