Son testifies that he saw his father murder his mom

Bangalore: 22-year-old Harshal Bhatia, in his report before the magistrate, accused police of manipulating the FIR since he could not understand Kannada. It’s a death that disturbed Bangalore and continues to do so with new turns in the case approaching every few weeks.The death of 43-year-old Kiran Bhatia who was believed to have committed suicide on August 26 by jumping off the 16th floor of their apartment, appears to be a murder, according to her son’s statement before a magistrate.

The deceased victim's 22-year-old son, Harshal Bhatia has accused the police of turning his statement accusing his father, so that he could be booked for abetment instead of murder. Since Kiran Bhatia died, her story has had many alterations.The RMC Yard police, who had initially registered a case of unnatural death, later registered a case of abetment to suicide against Devendra Bhatia, 48, under 306 of the Indian Penal Code based on the complaint filed by Harshal.However when Harshal returned after completing the obsequies in his home town in Rajasthan, he approached the RMC Yard police on September 11, with yet another shocking issue. He wanted to file a complaint against his father, Devendra, for taking his mother by the legs and throwing her from their apartment after a heated argument.

The family lived in Golden Grand apartments in Yeshwanthapura. Now comes another twist in the tale. Harshal, an engineering college student, alleges that the police had interfered him to change his complaint and had modified it. His difference in statement was then used to book his father under a milder charge of abetment to suicide.A formal complaint was also reported with the city police commissioner, says Harshal, stating the manipulation by the investigating officer who reportedly lives in the same upscale Golden Grand apartment complex and is reportedly a close friend of the accused, Devendra Bhatia.

Harshal also added that he and his sister had witnessed his mother being abused daily by their father till he murdered her. He told the media that he had finally decided to stand up for his mother and seek justice for her. Harshal gave a statement before the Magistrate, that he was an eyewitness to his father murdering his mother and how the police manipulated his statement in Kannada in the FIR since he could neither read nor write Kannada properly. Harshal said, “My father intentionally killed my mother by tipping her over the balcony. But the police coerced me to change my complaint, modified it, took my signature and then the FIR was filed under section IPC 306 (abetment to suicide).

I was witness to my father throwing my mother off the balcony. But in the altered complaint, the police coerced me to state that when I came out of the room on hearing them fight, I heard a loud pulsating sound and my mother was nowhere to be seen, while my father was standing on the balcony. This statement surely helps my father and weakens the case as it looks like my mother jumped on her own. She did not. She was murdered by my father. The city police commissioner, T Suneel Kumar, was extremely co-operative. He listened to us for almost 50 minutes and sensing the seriousness of the incident, he directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) to look into the issue and also to get the 164 CrPC statements done in front of a magistrate. On September 14th, we met the DCP who directed the RMC Yard police to get the 164 CrPC statements done. The case would have been buried if the commissioner and the DCP had not cooperated. We want justice for my mother, and for my father to be punished for killing my mother,” Harshal said.

Harshal’s statements were recorded in front of a magistrate on October 6th, while his younger sister’s statements were recorded on October 9th.“I took almost three hours to give my statements in the court. I have mentioned the type of torture which my father put my mother to and which finally led to him killing her. We have requested the DCP to get the Investigating Officer, the police inspector of RMC Yard to be changed. Through common friends I have found out that the inspector stays in the same apartment and knows my father well and is helping my father to turn the facts to help his case.Shockingly, my father has come out on bail on September 27th. Fearing threat to our lives, we have vacated the flat and will never go back to him. To get my books from the flat, I had to go with two policemen else my father would have hurt me,” Harshal added.

Harshal said he spoke to the magistrate that the policemen had tried to differentiate the scene of the crime to help the accused. He alleged that two policemen had visited his flat after the incident and told him to keep a stool near the kitchen balcony and some vessels on the shelves. They wanted to create a scene to make it look like Kiran(the mother)lost balance while trying to reach for the vessels and fell down from the balcony. He said they had also told him to repeat the same version when other officials visited the scene of the crime.