A post by Sivakumar K. Rao, a grieving father, has moved thousands online. He shared his story a month after his daughter’s death, revealing painful experiences with a chain of officials, from ambulance staff to employees at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office.
Through his now-deleted LinkedIn post, Sivakumar described how several people demanded bribes from him at different stages of the process after his daughter’s death. These repeated encounters with corruption in Bengaluru left him in silent sorrow.
His daughter, Akshaya Sivakumar Rao, 34, died on September 18 from a brain hemorrhage at her home in Bengaluru. Akshaya was a bright scholar who had worked with Goldman Sachs and held a B. Tech in Computer Science and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad.
A brain or cerebral hemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures, causing bleeding inside or around brain tissue. This sudden bleeding interrupts the normal blood flow, damaging surrounding neurons and leading to symptoms such as severe headache, loss of consciousness, paralysis, or even death. It is a life-threatening form of stroke often caused by high blood pressure, trauma, or aneurysm rupture.
In his emotional post, Sivakumar wrote, “Recently my only child passed away at age 34. The amount of open bribe being asked by ambulance, police for FIR and post-mortem report, crematorium for giving receipts, BBMP office for death certificate.”
He also recalled his ordeal with the police when he went to collect a copy of the FIR and post-mortem report four days after his daughter’s death. He alleged that officers openly demanded extra cash in exchange for the documents.
According to reports by NDTV, the grieving father claimed that even to move his daughter’s body and complete formalities at St. John’s Hospital and the crematorium, multiple individuals demanded payments beyond official fees.
Sivakumar alleged that the ambulance driver demanded ₹3,000 to transport his daughter’s body from a hospital in Kasavanahalli to St. John’s Hospital in Koramangala.
Through his heart-wrenching post, Sivakumar condemned the corruption and lack of empathy he faced across different public services in Bengaluru.
He went on to write, “With no empathy for a father who lost his only child. Very sad state. I had money, I paid. What will the poor do?”
He said he was too heartbroken to argue and paid whatever was asked, stating that “at every step, someone wanted money.”
His words have struck a chord with many who related to his frustration with systemic corruption in the country. The post went viral before being deleted, sparking widespread outrage and calls for reform from citizens and public figures alike.
Sivakumar said his family also faced hurdles in getting the death certificate from the BBMP. Despite visiting the office for five days, he was told that staff were unavailable because of an ongoing “caste survey.”
He finally obtained the certificate after approaching a senior BBMP official, but only after paying more than the official fee.
As reported by The New Indian Express, the BBMP has since initiated an internal inquiry into the alleged bribery, while officials have maintained that the matter is being investigated.
In his concluding note, Sivakumar made a heartfelt appeal, writing,
“Can Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji (and) Mazumdar, bigwigs with billions of money, save this city?”
His post serves as a reminder of the urgent need for transparency, accountability, and empathy in Bengaluru’s public systems.
Following the post’s viral spread and the public outrage it triggered, the Bengaluru Police Commissioner ordered a departmental inquiry.
“In connection with the incident mentioned in Sivakumar’s tweet, one PSI and one Police Constable from Bellandur Police Station have been immediately suspended. The Police Department will not tolerate any such indecent or inappropriate behaviour under any circumstances,” the police stated.
The suspended officers were identified as PSI Somashekar and Constable Ramesh. According to police sources, the disciplinary action was taken after preliminary findings confirmed that money had been sought from Sivakumar during the post-mortem process.
The BBMP and Bengaluru Police have both issued statements promising strict measures against corruption and improved grievance redressal mechanisms.
(Rh/ARC/MSM)
