Bengaluru police have registered two FIRs after an altercation broke out, reportedly over a language dispute, at a cafe in Bengaluru on Sunday, February 2. One of the complainants, a food delivery worker, has alleged that he was assaulted for asking the eatery staff to speak in Kannada.
The dispute occurred at the Gabru Bistro and Cafe near Hesaraghatta Road, a video of which went viral, with social media users swiftly turning the incident into a ‘Kannadigas’ vs ‘outsiders’ fight.
Naveen, a food delivery worker with Zomato, has said in his complaint to the police, that he waited 45 minutes for an order and when he asked the staff to expedite it, they allegedly abused him in “another language”.
He alleged that when he insisted they speak in Kannada, they began assaulting him. The complaint states that he sustained an injury to his right ear and was taken to an area without CCTV coverage, where he was beaten on his stomach, back, and head. Other delivery executives present at the scene came to his aid.
Police had registered a case under the same sections of BNS as the complaint filed by the cafe owner.
However, the owner of the cafe, Jatin Gupta, also filed a complaint with the police alleging that Naveen had abused an employee and assaulted him. According to his complaint, the incident occurred around 10 pm. When Naveen asked about an order, Abid asked him to wait. However, Naveen allegedly used abusive language, and physically assaulted him. When other staff members intervened, Naveen threatened to destroy the café’s reputation and shut it down, the complaint says.
Both complaints have been registered under Sections 115(2) (causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint) 351 (criminal intimidation), and 352 (insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 by the Soldevanahalli police station.
Following the incident, social media discussions framed it as a language-related dispute. CCTV footage that surfaced online shows a verbal exchange in Kannada before the situation escalates.
