A Bengaluru-based IT professional, Pankhuri Mishra, who was arrested on May 31 by Bellandur police for physically assaulting an autorickshaw driver, issued an apology on June 2, seeking forgiveness from the driver and his family.
Accompanied by her husband, Pankhuri, a native of Bihar, apologised to the autorickshaw driver Lokesh, expressing concern about her pregnancy and regret for the incident. “I am not against Kannada or the people of Karnataka,” she said with folded hands.
The incident occurred near Centro Mall in Bellandur, where Pankhuri, allegedly involved in a minor road dispute, accused Lokesh of grazing her two-wheeler. What began as a verbal spat quickly escalated, with Pankhuri assaulting Lokesh with her slipper, hurling abuses, and making threats. Lokesh captured the altercation on his phone, and the video soon went viral on social media.
In the aftermath, outrage erupted across the city, particularly among autorickshaw drivers and Kannada activist groups, who condemned Pankhuri’s actions as both violent and culturally insensitive. Protesters demanded strict legal action, interpreting her remarks and aggression as disrespectful towards the Kannada-speaking community.
Bellandur police traced and arrested Pankhuri shortly after the complaint was filed. She was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and granted bail after her statement was recorded.
A video of the apology, like the original confrontation, also went viral, showing Pankhuri’s effort to reconcile.