Jailed, deported and in love: How a Japanese man's Bengaluru saga took an unexpected turn
A Japanese man came to Bengaluru to learn English. Instead, a dispute at an academy landed him in jail for 19 days, a complaint against
A Japanese man came to Bengaluru to learn English. Instead, a dispute at an academy landed him in jail for 19 days, a complaint against a police officer set off a years-long legal battle, and a bizarre attempt involving a plastic chair was meant to get him arrested again. He was eventually deported to Japan — but Bengaluru had already given him another reason to stay: he fell in love and married an Indian woman. Nearly seven years after Hirotoshi Tanaka arrived in the city in 2019, the Karnataka government has finally paid him ₹75,000 in compensation after the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission found that he had been unnecessarily kept in judicial custody for 19 days, the Indian Express reported. Yet the strangest chapter of his ordeal came on February 28, 2021, when Tanaka walked into the office of the JC Nagar assistant commissioner of police in RT Nagar, picked up a white plastic chair, took selfies with it and carried it home to BTM Layout. He was not trying to secretly steal it. He wanted the police to arrest him. Tanaka believed that getting arrested would allow him to remain in India while he continued pursuing his human rights complaint. From English classes to Bengaluru Central Prison Tanaka, then a 36-year-old psychology graduate, had come to Bengaluru to learn English and enrolled at a private English academy. He became unhappy after classes were allegedly cancelled frequently and held irregularly. His repeated attempts to seek an explanation from the academy's head reportedly went unanswered. The dispute eventually escalated into an argument, during which Tanaka asserted that he was provoked, lost his temper and punched the academy head. The RT Nagar police subsequently registered a case against him for voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation. Although the offences were bailable, Tanaka was arrested on November 23, 2019, and sent to Bengaluru Central Prison. He spent 19 days in jail before being released on December 11, Express reported. For someone who had come to India to study English, the experience was far removed from what he had expected. A police bribe allegation Tanaka's troubles did not end when he walked out of prison.
When he returned to the police station the next day to collect his belongings, he said he had very little money. He recalled that a constable, lent him ₹1,500. Tanaka alleged that another officer, then a sub-inspector, later demanded a bribe. According to him, he eventually paid ₹5,500, including the amount he had borrowed. Days later, when he appeared in court, he alleged that the officer again demanded ₹3,000 to settle the case. On December 19, Tanaka was asked to appear before the court. He again alleged that Hanumantharayappa demanded ₹3,000 to close the case. This time, Tanaka decided he would not let the alleged bribe demands go unchallenged, Express reported. But just as he prepared to take on the police, the Covid-19 pandemic brought his plans to a halt and plunged his already uncertain life into further turmoil. This time, Tanaka decided to fight. “I wanted to fight,” he said. His father is a police officer in Japan, and Tanaka said he had great respect for the police. But he did not want to accept what he described as misconduct. The criminal case is dropped, but the fight continues Tanaka eventually approached the Karnataka High Court challenging the criminal proceedings against him. After the coaching centre's head agreed to settle the dispute, the High Court, on November 2, 2020, quashed the FIR and all criminal proceedings against him. The case that had led to his arrest and 19 days in prison was finally over. But Tanaka chose not to return to Japan. Instead, he decided to continue pursuing what he believed was a larger injustice. In December 2020, he approached the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission with a complaint against the police officer, who has since retired. Tanaka alleged that the officer had demanded a bribe to drop the case and sought action against him as well as reimbursement of his travel expenses. At the same time, however, his immigration situation was becoming increasingly complicated. Visa troubles and the bizarre chair plan Tanaka's visa had expired while the criminal case was pending. After the case was quashed, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office directed him to leave India before February 28, 2021.
The BriefWire