<p class="bodytext">Vikas Kumar, who suffered multiple injuries during a road rage incident involving an IAF officer on Old Madras Road on April 21, has returned to work. A CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral. The incident, initially labelled a ‘language row, has left the 25-year-old customer support executive shaken.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As he tries to return to normalcy, the Babusapalya resident recalls the day of the accident. He was riding his bike when a car driven by IAF Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose’s wife, Madhumita, collided with him. “Despite hitting my bike, the lady started yelling at me. I walked up to Bose and asked him (in English) why his wife was yelling at me,” he recounts. Despite his attempts to clarify and resolve the issue peacefully, Kumar says Bose got out of the car and pushed him. The situation escalated, leaving him with multiple injuries and a broken phone.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Initially, Kumar considered filing a complaint, but friends and family advised against it. However, that evening, police officers arrived at his doorstep with a complaint alleging that he had initiated the altercation “because Bose and his wife didn’t respond in Kannada”. Kumar then shared his side of the story and clarified that “this wasn’t a language problem”. He also showed the officers his injuries, including bite marks. “By evening, the CCTV footage of the incident surfaced. And my family filed a counter-complaint,” he adds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His company was supportive and encouraged him to take time off to recover. Though he took a week’s leave, Kumar says he received his full salary and resumed work on Wednesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He is still recovering from a swollen thumb and ribcage pain, and hasn’t had a sound night’s sleep in over a week. “I was scared the case would get twisted and I’d face jail time. I was worried thinking how my mother would cope if I wasn’t around,” he shares.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Vikas Kumar, who suffered multiple injuries during a road rage incident involving an IAF officer on Old Madras Road on April 21, has returned to work. A CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral. The incident, initially labelled a ‘language row, has left the 25-year-old customer support executive shaken.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As he tries to return to normalcy, the Babusapalya resident recalls the day of the accident. He was riding his bike when a car driven by IAF Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose’s wife, Madhumita, collided with him. “Despite hitting my bike, the lady started yelling at me. I walked up to Bose and asked him (in English) why his wife was yelling at me,” he recounts. Despite his attempts to clarify and resolve the issue peacefully, Kumar says Bose got out of the car and pushed him. The situation escalated, leaving him with multiple injuries and a broken phone.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Initially, Kumar considered filing a complaint, but friends and family advised against it. However, that evening, police officers arrived at his doorstep with a complaint alleging that he had initiated the altercation “because Bose and his wife didn’t respond in Kannada”. Kumar then shared his side of the story and clarified that “this wasn’t a language problem”. He also showed the officers his injuries, including bite marks. “By evening, the CCTV footage of the incident surfaced. And my family filed a counter-complaint,” he adds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His company was supportive and encouraged him to take time off to recover. Though he took a week’s leave, Kumar says he received his full salary and resumed work on Wednesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He is still recovering from a swollen thumb and ribcage pain, and hasn’t had a sound night’s sleep in over a week. “I was scared the case would get twisted and I’d face jail time. I was worried thinking how my mother would cope if I wasn’t around,” he shares.</p>