“We cannot attribute any reason for the attack. There was no provocation for her to retaliate the way she did. She was arrested and taken into judicial custody this morning. We are yet to establish the reason for the fatal attack that took Madaiah’s life,” said DCP (Central) BNS Reddy on Wednesday.

Madaiah, while patrolling with constable Prakash at Sampangiramnagar police station limits, spotted Geetha on the road at about 11.30 pm on Tuesday near a wood depot. He knew that she is ACP Ramesh Babu’s sister. He went up and asked her why she was out on the road late at night.

“Madaiah did not notice that she was carrying a knife in her hand. She suddenly stabbed him in his neck injuring him fatally. Prakash immediately swung into action and took away the weapon from her hand. He then informed the police station via wireless set. Soon, a police team rushed to the spot, which took Madaiah to Mallya Hospital where he was declared brought dead,” said Mr Reddy.

Police also took Geetha into custody. Police sources said that Geetha has been taking treatment for depression for almost a decade now. She was taken to Spandana, a nursing home in Rajajinagar, where she injured herself on Wednesday morning.

Geetha is married and has a daughter. “Her married life is disturbed,” said the source.

A TRUE KANNADA FAN Madaiah was known as Kannada Madaiah because of his love for Kannada. He was very particular about using chaste Kannada words in his official work. “For instance, he would use the word ‘vahana nildana’ instead of its common English interpretation  — ‘bus-stop’. “I never heard him use English words,” said one of his colleagues. Because of his passion for Kannada he reportedly faced the wrath of a DCP wayback in 1994 when he was suspended. His friends recalled the incident and said that Madaiah had written an official letter using classical Kannada words, which the DCP could not understand. “The DCP summoned him and pulled him up for not using simple Kannada or English words. This led to some exchange of words between the head constable and his boss. As a result, Madaiah was reportedly suspended for three months,” said a friend of the deceased constable.

Protest
As soon as the news of Madaiah’s death spread, his relatives in Bangalore and Kanakapura taluk rushed to Sampangiramanagar police station in large numbers on Wednesday morning. They gheraoed the police station demanding the arrest of Geetha and suspension of ACP Ramesh Babu.

Anticipating a riotous situation, police had made elaborate bandobast at the police station. A pall of gloom descended at the station premises with Madaiah’s wife Saraswathi, their two sons and other relatives wailing inconsolably.

Mr Reddy faced the ire of the mob as soon as he reached the police station. Relatives and friends of the deceased said that the funeral will not take place unless the accused was arrested and Ramesh Babu suspended. They also demanded that the ACP should meet them. The mob left only after Mr Reddy told them that the assailant has been arrested and would be produced before the court.

Ex-gratia for the kin
Later, talking to media persons, Mr Reddy said the government would make an exgratia payment of Rs 5 lakh and provide a government job for his wife as Madaiah died on duty. Police have registered a case against Geetha under section 302 and 332 of the IPC, he said.