BENGALURU: “Oh you are Indian? You are from Nagaland?” was how policemen at the KR Puram police station reacted when a woman software professional from Nagaland approached them to file a complaint of robbery on July 13 night.
The police first refused to file an FIR and later made the complainant, Sonny Tsanglao, who works with a city-based top MNC, wait for over two hours before giving her an acknowledgement. Though the incident occurred a week ago, she posted it on the official Facebook page of Bengaluru police on July 17.
Ms Tsanglao’s complaint read, “Around 8.30 pm on Wednesday, I, my younger brother and sister were coming from T.C. Palya Main Road. When we reached near Kristu Jayanthi College, two unidentified men on a bike snatched my brother’s wallet, which I had in my hand, and fled towards Garden City College Road (Kothanur Main Road). My brother chased the duo till the signal, but the thieves pulled out a knife, threatened him and sped away. We raised an alarm and cried for help, but none came to our rescue.”
Ms Tsanglao and her brother, who was scheduled to fly to Nagaland the next day morning, approached the K.R. Puram police station to lodge a robbery complaint. The wallet had his PAN card, Driving Licence, SBI debit card, college ID card and some cash. “We went to the police station around 9.30 pm. There were three to four police constables and a sub-inspector. When we narrated the incident, they refused to take the complaint saying it was a petty case. Instead of filing our complaint, they inquired about our nationality. When I told them that we are from Nagaland, India, they mocked at us. One of them smirked and said, 'Oh! India... and Manipur is the capital of Nagaland’. They made racial comments and made us wait for two hours," she alleged in the complaint.
When she tried to reason with the policemen that they could at least put a seal and sign the acknowledgement, so that her brother can show it to the airport authorities while checking in before departure, the cops refused to lodge the FIR. “But they refused, and made us change our statement. Instead of theft/robbery, they told us to write that we lost the wallet, containing documents and cash,” she stated.
“It is disappointing to see how the KR Puram police behaved with us and not filed our complaint. They did not even take our phone numbers to call us back for any update. It seems that they are protecting the thieves and robbers by not lodging the FIR. I would request necessary action, so that people in future will not have to face the same difficult situation in the police station like we did. We also expect cops to be more respectful towards women and our culture. We are not outsiders and we are also Indian who wants to be treated equally before the law.”
