BENGALURU: A retired senior officer of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has stirred nationwide outrage after revealing the alleged corruption he faced while performing the last rites of his only daughter. The man, K Sivakumar, who identified himself as the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of BPCL, said in a now-deleted LinkedIn post that he was forced to pay bribes at nearly every stage — from ambulance services to the police and civic authorities — while dealing with his daughter’s death.

His 34-year-old daughter, Akshaya, a former Goldman Sachs employee with a B.Tech in Computer Science and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, died of a brain haemorrhage at their home in Bengaluru on September 18, 2025. The family’s grief was compounded by the alleged corruption and indifference of officials at every level, which Sivakumar described as “heartbreaking and shameful.”

Forced to pay bribes at every stage

In his emotional note, Sivakumar said, “Recently my only child passed away at age 34. The amount of open bribe being asked by ambulance, police for FIR and post-mortem report, crematorium for giving receipts, BBMP office for death certificate.”

He further alleged that even at the police station, officers openly demanded cash for providing the First Information Report (FIR) and post-mortem report. “Since the police had to give a copy of the FIR and post-mortem report, we met after four days and they openly demanded cash which I paid in the open police station,” he wrote.

Sivakumar said that the ambulance driver demanded ₹3,000 to transport his daughter’s body from Kasavanahalli to St John’s Hospital, Koramangala, for post-mortem procedures. He questioned whether the officials had any empathy, writing, “Do police officials have a family or feeling when they demand money or speak rudely to a person who is already in trauma?”

Struggle for death certificate

Sivakumar’s ordeal did not end after the cremation. He alleged that he was made to visit the BBMP office for five consecutive days to obtain his daughter’s death certificate. Officials reportedly told him that no one was available due to a caste survey being conducted. The certificate was issued only after he approached a senior BBMP officer — and even then, he was allegedly charged more than the official fee.

“With no empathy to a father who lost his only child. Very sad state. I had money, I paid. What will the poor do?” Sivakumar lamented in his post.

He ended his message with a plea to the city’s leading philanthropists: “Can Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji, and Mazumdar — bigwigs with billions of money — save this city?”

Police take action after outrage

Following widespread criticism and media coverage, the Whitefield Division Police took swift action.
“In connection with the incident mentioned in Sivakumar’s tweet, one PSI and one Police Constable of Bellandur Police Station have been immediately suspended. The Police Department will not tolerate any such indecent or inappropriate behaviour under any circumstances,” the Bengaluru City Police said in a statement.

Minister’s response sparks debate

Reacting to the allegations, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that Sivakumar should have filed a formal complaint instead of posting on social media.
“He was the CFO of a company. He must learn to complain to senior officers. Otherwise, let him complain to the Lokayukta. Let him complain in the police station or the BBMP,” Reddy said.

He further dismissed the claims of widespread bribery, saying, “For death certificates, I don’t think anybody will take bribes. Even people operating ambulances don’t take them. They take charges, that’s all.”

Political backlash and public reaction

The post has triggered a political row, with the BJP blaming the Congress-led state government for the alleged breakdown in governance. Malavika Avinash, BJP’s Karnataka vice president, expressed her condolences and said, “He’s not only had to suffer personal grief of losing a young daughter, he’s also had to suffer a lot of government apathy.”

She accused the government of presiding over a “defunct system” and demanded that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar explain the alleged harassment. “Why sir, why this apathy? Why is it that a citizen of Bengaluru is having to suffer this way? And what’s worse, his post was deleted — who ordered that?” she asked.

Social media users across platforms expressed outrage, with many describing the case as a reflection of deep-rooted corruption in everyday civic processes. Several netizens demanded an independent probe and reforms in death-related documentation procedures.

A city’s wake-up call

Sivakumar’s ordeal has become a symbol of citizens’ frustration with official red tape and extortion in Bengaluru. While the police have promised accountability, the case has reignited the debate over corruption in government institutions.

For now, the city mourns not just the untimely loss of a young professional, but also the erosion of humanity in systems meant to serve citizens in their most vulnerable moments.