From ambulance to crematorium: Bengaluru father alleges bribes after only daughter's death, police act

Following the outrage, Bengaluru DCP (Whitefield Division) shared on X that immediate disciplinary action had been taken.

A Bengaluru resident and retired CFO from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), has alleged that he was forced to pay bribes at multiple levels after the death of his only child in the city.

Bengaluru man's now-deleted LinkedIn post describing the ordeal has gone viral.(Pixabay/Representational Image)

His now-deleted LinkedIn post describing the ordeal has gone viral, sparking outrage over corruption and insensitivity in civic and police systems.

In the post, K Sivakumar wrote that his 34-year-old daughter had recently passed away, and that he had to pay bribes to several officials, including those managing the ambulance, the police for filing the FIR and post-mortem report, the crematorium for issuing a receipt, and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office for obtaining a death certificate.

“I paid. The Inspector of Bellandur Police Station was so arrogant, with no empathy to a father who lost his only child. Very sad state. I had money, I paid. What will the poor do?” Sivakumar wrote in the post.

Following the outrage, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield Division) shared on X (formerly Twitter) that immediate disciplinary action had been taken.

“In connection with the incident mentioned in Sivakumar’s tweet, one PSI and one Police Constable of Bellandur Police Station have been immediately suspended,” the DCP said. The Police Department will not tolerate any such indecent or inappropriate behaviour under any circumstances.”

BBMP Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao told Moneycontrol, “We sympathise and have created a system to ensure death certificates are issued online. Our corporation is committed to ensure that the bereaved are treated with courtesy and respect.”

How did social media users react?

The incident has reignited public debate over corruption in essential services and the treatment of grieving families.

Many X users shared their frustration about the lack of reform in crematorium and death registration systems. One user wrote, “Crematorium reform is long pending. People still have to carry a certificate from one BBMP office to another. Why can’t it be digital and internal?” Another commented, “They can automate everything, from ambulance calls to issuing death certificates. If the government wants to fix it, it easily can.”

Another user wrote, “This isn’t corruption, it’s decay. When a grieving father is extorted for basic dignity, it’s not the system failing, it’s the system showing its true face.”

HT.com has reached out to Sivakumar for comment. This story will be updated when he responds.