Two policemen attached to the Bellandur police station have been suspended after being accused of demanding and accepting a ₹5,000 bribe from a bereaved father who had recently lost his daughter.
The suspended officials — Police Sub-Inspector Santosh Kumar and Head Constable Ghorakhnath P — were relieved of duty by City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh on Thursday, following widespread social media outrage over the case.
The action came after Sivakumar K, a former BPCL Chief Financial Officer (CFO), shared a viral LinkedIn post detailing the harassment he faced from various authorities after his 34-year-old daughter’s death last month.
Social media post exposes police misconduct
In his post titled “I paid them all”, Sivakumar described how he was forced to pay bribes to multiple parties — including ambulance drivers, police officers, crematorium staff, and BBMP officials — during the tragic ordeal.
“Recently, my only child passed away at age 34. The amount of open bribes being asked by the ambulance, police for FIR and post-mortem report, crematorium for receipt, and BBMP office for the death certificate… I paid,” he wrote.
Following the post, Commissioner Singh personally spoke to Sivakumar and ordered the immediate suspension of the two accused officers. “We will carry out a departmental inquiry,” Singh confirmed.
What led to the bribery incident
Police sources said the incident began in September, when Sivakumar’s daughter fell near the bathroom at home and later died at a hospital. As per procedure, the hospital informed the Bellandur police, who insisted on conducting an autopsy since it was an unnatural death case.
A senior officer said, “The PSI and constable allegedly demanded ₹5,000 from Sivakumar for processing the post-mortem report.” The accused later claimed that the money was meant to pay ₹3,000 to an ambulance driver and ₹2,000 to an assistant in the mortuary, but this version remains unverified.
Public outrage prompts swift action
The suspension comes amid growing calls for accountability in the handling of bereaved families by officials. Many social media users lauded the swift response by the commissioner while urging stricter disciplinary measures to deter similar misconduct.