Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: IAF officer booked for attempt to murder in Bengaluru road rage case, and more

Hours after being arrested, call centre employee Vikas Kumar filed a counter-complaint against IAF officer Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose, accusing him of attempt to murder during the scuffle over road rage in Bengaluru on April 21, 2025. Based on his complaint, the Byappanahalli police have charged Mr. Bose under multiple sections.

The police initially arrested Vikas Kumar and recorded his statement. However, after verifying the CCTV footage and recordings of the incidents from bystanders, it was allegedly revealed that Mr. Bose had also attacked and assaulted Vikas Kumar, and kicked him after he fell on the road. The police will now summon Mr. Bose for questioning.

Kannadigas are a people proud of their mother tongue, but they would not attack or abuse others over the issue of language, said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in response to the road rage incident in Bengaluru. CM added that the whole issue should not have been twisted to give it a linguistic colour. 

A day after videos of the scuffle between call centre employee Vikas Kumar and IAF officer Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose went viral on social media, the CM in a post on X, took exception to the “unfounded allegations” Mr. Bose had made against Karnataka and Kannadigas. He called it an attempt to “hurt the self-respect” of Kannadigas.

In the wake of widespread public anger over the felling of 40 fully grown trees on Hyder Ali Road, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy has constituted a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the incident. The probe committee will be chaired by the Commissioner of the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

The tree felling, carried out near the office of the Superintendent of Police as part of a road-widening project, has drawn strong criticism from citizens, NGOs, and environmental groups. Protests have erupted daily, with participants demanding accountability and questioning the rationale behind sacrificing green cover for urban infrastructure.

The work on the additional loop of the Hebbal flyover, which provides extra carriageway to vehicles coming from K.R. Puram towards Mehkri Circle and central parts of Bengaluru, is nearing the finish line and is expected to be open for traffic by the first or second week of May.