- Retired BPCL officer said he faced bribe demands from ambulance to BBMP after daughter's death
- The retired officer said police demanded cash for FIR and post-mortem copies amid emotional trauma
- BBMP delayed death certificate, charged extra fees during caste survey period
A heartbreaking social media post by a retired Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) officer from Bengaluru has moved thousands online after he shared how he was forced to pay bribes at every step while dealing with the death of his only daughter.
The man, identified as K Sivakumar, who introduced himself as the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of BPCL, wrote an emotional note on social media platform LinkedIn describing the corruption and apathy he faced while completing official formalities after his 34-year-old daughter, Akshaya, died.
Akshaya, who had worked for 11 years, including eight years at Goldman Sachs, died at home due to a brain hemorrhage on September 18, 2025. She held a B.Tech in Computer Science and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad.
In his post, which has since been deleted, Sivakumar said he had to pay bribes to almost everyone, from ambulance operators and police officials to staff at the crematorium and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office, just to complete the necessary formalities and get the required documents.
He 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."
Sivakumar also detailed how even at the police station, he was forced to pay in cash. "Since the police had to give a copy of the FIR and post mortem report, we met after four days and they openly demanded cash which I paid in the open police station," he added.
"With no empathy to a father who lost his only child. Very sad state. I had money, I paid. What will the poor do," he further wrote.
Sivakumar said that the ambulance driver had demanded Rs 3,000 to transport his daughter's body from a hospital in Kasavanahalli to St. John's Hospital, Koramangala.
He also questioned the lack of compassion shown by police officers. "Do police officials have a family or feeling when they demand money or speak rudely to a person who is already in trauma and in emotional turmoil?" he asked.
The ordeal didn't end there. The family, Sivakumar said, even struggled to get the death certificate from the BBMP. He claimed that he visited the office for five days, only to be told that no one was available because of an ongoing "caste survey." The certificate was eventually issued only after he approached a senior BBMP official, but not before being charged more than the official fee.
Concluding his post, Sivakumar made a heartfelt appeal, writing, "Can Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji (and) Mazumdar - bigwigs with billions of money - save this city?"
After the post went viral and drew widespread outrage, Bengaluru's Whitefield Police took swift action.
"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 Police Department will not tolerate any such indecent or inappropriate behaviour under any circumstances," the police said.
Asked about Sivakumar's allegations, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said he should have complained to the authorities instead of posting on social media.
"He was the CFO of a company. He must learn to complain to senior officers. Otherwise, let him complain to the Lokayukta. Let him complain in the police station or the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike," the minister said.
Pressed on allegations that the allegations point to rampant corruption, Reddy said, "See, for example, for death certificates, I don't think anybody will take (bribes). Even people operating ambulances don't take. They will take the charges, that's all... He is a CFO. Let him complain, not put on social media, that is not correct. Let him file a complaint with the concerned authorities."
Meanwhile, BJP state vice president Malavika Avinash expressed sympathy for K Sivakumar, whose emotional social media post about the corruption he faced after his daughter's death has sparked outrage.
She said, "At the outset, let me express my deepest condolences to Mr. K Sivakumar. He's not only had to suffer personal grief of having lost a young daughter, he's also had to suffer a lot of government apathy."
She blamed the Congress government in Karnataka for what she called a "defunct system" and demanded that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar explain why a grieving father was forced to face such an ordeal and why his post was later deleted.
"It's no surprise in Karnataka, it's been two years since the Congress Party came to power. All they promised to come to power were freebies, which they have not been able to deliver. And in the process, the administrative machinery is more or less defunct. Look at the manner in which the BBMP has harassed him while he only intended to conduct the last rites of his daughter," she said.
She added, "I think the Urban Development Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. DK Shiv Kumar, has to come forth and explain what happened. Why sir, why this apathy? Why is it that a citizen of Bengaluru is having to suffer the way he has? And what's worse, he's deleted his post. Who is it that ordered him to delete it or who is it that forced him to delete it? Please explain."
