The city’s police commissioner on Thursday suspended three officers for beating up airport cafeteria staff for demanding a token for coffee they ordered on Wednesday night.
The incident reportedly took place on Wednesday around 12.30 pm when three policemen of the KIA police station, identified as Gangaraju, Belappa and Kumar, allegedly visited the hostel area near the canteen and asked for coffee.
The complainant said that due to language difficulties, one of the employees informed them in Hindi that a coffee token had to be purchased before being served. This reportedly angered one of the officers, who allegedly asked why only one token was being asked for and began verbally abusing the staff.
The situation escalated when the accused staff allegedly assaulted the canteen worker and punched him in the face and shoulders. The complaint further states that when the other employees, identified as Rajesh and Dilip, intervened to save their colleague, they were also allegedly assaulted and threatened.
Ajit Kumar, manager of the canteen at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), filed a complaint alleging assault and misconduct by three policemen in the early hours of February 11. Based on this, an FIR was registered against Gangaraju, Balappa and Kumar under section 126(2) (wrongful restraint on human life), (115 and 115(2)) (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke) of the IPC. Hours after the FIR, the trio was suspended.
The officers allegedly tried to forcefully close the hotel gate and disturbed the interior of the hotel, damaging the business and causing fear among customers present at the time.
The injured worker was later taken to the government hospital in Devanahalli for treatment. The complainant accused three police officers of physically assaulting employees, obstructing their work, threatening their lives and causing financial damage to the facility.
Published – 12 February 2026 21:45 IST