Slain Gulbarga Sub-Inspector Mallikarajuna Bande's dues not cleared, father protests

Bengaluru: Two years have passed since his son, Mallikarjun Bande died from bullet injuries he received during a clash in Kalaburgi, but Karibasappa Bande, now in his seventies, is no nearer to receiving the promised compensation from the government.

With an ailing wife suffering from brain tumour, the old man, who seemed to have exhausted all his options, began an indefinite dharna in front of the Gandhi statue near Anand Rao Circle on Friday to demand that the government keep to its word.

“The government promised to give us an amount equal to the salary my son would have earned during his entire service had he been alive. But we have not received it yet,” Mr Bande complained. While an additional director general of police did give the family Rs 50 lakh, he explained it had nothing to do with the amount promised by the government. “They have given me a site as well, but I don’t have the money to register it,” he added ruefully, explaining that of the Rs 50 lakh, over Rs 22 lakh has gone into his wife’s treatment.

“When we ran out of money, the doctors at NIMHANS refused to continue treatment. We have now shifted her to a private hospital,” he said. Volunteers of the Veerashaiva Yuva Vedike, who were out in strength to support him, said they would not give up until the government met the old man’s demands.