Andhra IAS Officer Booked for Pub Slap

Bengaluru Police registered an FIR against an Andhra Pradesh-cadre IAS officer and his three friends for allegedly assaulting a police Inspector and abusing him after he asked the officer to produce his identity card during a raid at a pub in the city.

A video showing the IAS officer and his friends hurling abuses at police officers went viral on social media on Tuesday, raising concerns.

The FIR was registered at the Cubbon Park police station following the incident, which reportedly occurred at around 1.30 a.m. at Kavoor pub, within the police station limits.

Although the FIR does not explicitly mention slapping, it states that the accused IAS officer assaulted the police Inspector and threatened him. However, police sources confirmed that the accused had slapped and threatened him.

The accused IAS officer has been identified as Vikas Marmath, who is serving as a Kuppam Area Development Authority, Special Officer in Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh. His three friends have been identified as Abhay Uday Singh, Nitesh and Roshan.

The police have registered the FIR under Sections 115 (2), 351 (2), 352, 132, 3 (5). The complaint was filed on October 10 by 38-year-old police Inspector Arun Salunke attached to Special Inquiry Wing, CCB in Bengaluru.

According to FIR, Bengaluru police, along with the Central Crime Branch (CCB), were conducting raids at pubs and other establishments across the city. During one such raid, CCB personnel in uniform entered the pub and began checking the identity cards of customers at 1.30 a.m. on last Friday to confirm their ages and also to check on suspicious persons.

During the search, when the police asked Marmath to produce his identity card, he and his three friends allegedly became enraged and started arguing with the police over a petty matter. The FIR seeks action against the accused for quarrelling with the police, abusing them in vulgar language, assaulting the complainant, a police Inspector, and threatening him.

Police sources stated that accused IAS officer allegedly began hurling abuses at the officers. When the police Inspector questioned him about his behaviour, the IAS officer allegedly slapped the Inspector and threatened him, claiming that he was an IAS officer and that the police could not take action against him.

Police sources said CCTV footage of the incident was available. However, they alleged that the accused officer and his friends were let off following the intervention of senior officials, raising concerns among police personnel and reportedly demoralising the force.

Following instructions from senior officials, an FIR was registered at the Cubbon Park police station, and further investigation has been initiated.

Further details regarding the incident and the action taken against the accused are awaited.

It can be recalled that Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh led a late-night crackdown on pubs and bars across the city, with around 1,500 police personnel conducting raids and inspections at 400 to 500 locations to check violations of operating hours, underage drinking, and other alleged irregularities, he said on Saturday.

The raids, which continued until 2 a.m. on Saturday, covered pubs and establishments on Brigade Road, including Brigade Garden and Page 3 pubs, along with several other locations across Bengaluru.

The operation involved 19 IPS officers, including two Joint Commissioners, besides jurisdictional police and personnel from the Central Crime Branch (CCB).

The raids were conducted to ensure that pubs and bars adhered to the prescribed closing deadlines. The police were also checking whether liquor was being served to underage customers and whether establishments were complying with licencing conditions.

According to police guidelines, kitchens are required to close by 1 a.m., liquor service must stop, and customers should leave the premises. Police took action to ensure establishments did not continue operations beyond the permitted hours.

The operation was carried out across Bengaluru, with jurisdictional police and the CCB participating in the inspections. Police are expected to examine violations identified during the raids and initiate action against establishments found to have breached the rules.

Police also raided ladies' pubs on Brigade Road in Bengaluru. Inspections were conducted to check violations, including allowing minors into the establishments, and to verify concerns involving underage girls.