• Victim alleges delay, needless questioning and harassment at Police Station over lodging FIR
• Made to wait till noon, sent away; called again in the evening; FIR not registered, NCR booked

Mysuru: Mysuru, known as the cultural capital and a ‘Yoga Hub’, attracts tourists from across India and abroad. Many foreigners stay here for months to learn Yoga and explore the city’s heritage.

Yet, residents themselves are increasingly worried about their safety. Despite initiatives such as ‘Citizen-friendly Police’ and ‘Mane Manege Police’, they allege that the Police Department has failed to provide adequate protection or even reassure them that they can live in a safe environment.

Repeated questioning of complainants, instead of offering reassurance, also discourages people from approaching the Police. A recent incident in the well-known, densely populated locality of Gokulam is a case in point. A resident has alleged that the Police failed to act on his complaint about a threat to his life.

The incident occurred on 1st Main Road, Gokulam 3rd Stage. V. Prajwal had rented out a room on the third floor of his house in August to two students, B.S. Rakshit from Madikeri and B.M. Sumit from Periyapatna, who were studying at a reputed college.

Neighbourhood nuisance

Prajwal said, the tenants frequently brought girls to the room, prompting him to advise them to concentrate on their studies. He warned them that they would have to vacate the room if the behaviour continued.

On Oct. 3, the tenants allegedly invited around 10 friends over, shouting and making noise through the night and disturbing neighbours. When Prajwal asked them to vacate the premises, they pleaded for one final chance to mend their ways.

However, at around 1.20 am on Oct. 6, one of their friends allegedly arrived carrying a ‘long’ (machete), stood in the street, shouted Prajwal’s name, hurled abuses and threatened to drag him out of the house and also issued death threats. The incident frightened residents of the street.

Some neighbours called Prajwal to alert him to the commotion. Fearing for his safety, he did not step outside. He and his family spent the night in fear, he said. One of the tenants, Sumit, later took the machete from the man and took him inside his room. The man left around 5 am.

Ordeal at Police Station

Prajwal decided to lodge a Police complaint. As his CCTV camera was not working, he obtained footage from a neighbour’s camera and went to V.V. Puram Police Station at 10 am on Oct. 9.

The Inspector directed him to the Station House Officer (SHO). Instead of accepting the complaint and assuring him of protection, the SHO subjected him to repeated questioning and kept him waiting until noon, Prajwal alleged.

He said, he was frustrated by the experience and felt that it would have been better if the Police had simply sent him away rather than making him wait without registering his complaint.

The Police eventually sent him back without registering the complaint. Later that evening, they called him to the Station and recorded his statement, but issued only a Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) instead of registering an FIR, he said.

Despite CCTV evidence

Recounting his experience to the media, Prajwal said, Gokulam was home to cultured residents, including foreigners and people from other States, yet residents were left feeling unprotected.

He questioned, why the Police, despite being shown CCTV footage, asked him why he had not stepped outside when the man was shouting and carrying a weapon. “Did they even consider whether my life would have been safe if I had stepped out?” he asked.

Residents have urged the Police to make their citizen-friendly initiatives meaningful and ensure that residents feel safe approaching them.

The slogan ‘Mane Manege Police,’ they said, should inspire confidence among the public, while those who threaten and intimidate others should face firm action. Only then can Mysuru’s residents live in peace, residents noted.