{"id":4427,"date":"2025-06-12T16:10:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T10:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4427"},"modified":"2025-06-14T16:18:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T10:48:32","slug":"caste-power-and-a-police-case-the-battle-inside-bengalurus-manipal-hospitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4427","title":{"rendered":"Caste, Power, and a Police Case: The Battle Inside Bengaluru\u2019s Manipal Hospitals"},"content":{"rendered":"

False Criminal Case Filed Against Labor Leaders in Attempt to Remove Them from Union and Jobs<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Veteran Hospital Union Leaders Allege Conspiracy; Claim Charges Are Baseless and Motivated<\/em><\/h3>\n

Bengaluru, 11 June, 2025<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Two senior leaders of the Manipal Hospitals Labor Association have accused certain factions within the hospital of orchestrating a conspiracy to remove them from their union positions and jobs by filing a false criminal case. Rajagopal B.M., the association\u2019s president, and his brother Ravindra Babu B.M., its joint secretary, claim the allegations are fabricated and intended to tarnish their reputations after decades of unblemished service.<\/p>\n

Baseless Allegations and Political Motives<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On April 18, a complaint was filed at Jeevan Bhimanagar Police Station alleging that Rajagopal and Ravindra Babu attempted to forcibly take a female colleague on a motorcycle against her will. The leaders vehemently deny the charges, calling them a “malicious plot” to undermine their authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe complaint claims that on April 18, at 8 PM, we tried to drag a female colleague onto a bike to drop her home. However, that day was Good Friday, and I was at a temple for prayers. How could I have been involved in such an act?\u201d questioned Rajagopal, who has worked at Manipal Hospital for 30 years.<\/p>\n

The brothers suspect the case stems from resentment over their leadership roles and caste identity. \u201cSome forces within the hospital want me removed because I belong to a Scheduled Caste and lead the labor union,\u201d Rajagopal alleged.<\/p>\n

Demand for Fair Investigation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite securing anticipatory bail, the leaders insist the truth will emerge through a proper probe. \u201cOur mobile tower locations will prove our innocence. This is nothing but a conspiracy by a few employees to expel us from both the union and our jobs,\u201d Ravindra Babu stated.<\/p>\n

They also criticized a local TV channel for running what they called a \u201cdefamatory\u201d report without verifying facts. \u201cWe sent a legal notice for reputational harm, but it was returned unaccepted. The media must report responsibly,\u201d Rajagopal added.<\/p>\n

Hospital\u2019s Reputation at Stake?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The leaders warned that the false accusations could damage not only their reputations but also the prestige of Manipal Hospitals. \u201cThese allegations of sexual harassment are far from the truth. We urge the media to investigate fairly before spreading misinformation,\u201d Ravindra Babu emphasized.<\/p>\n

The police investigation is ongoing, and the labor leaders remain confident that the truth will prevail.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Representational Image: Manipal Hospital Labour Union<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q&A Section<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Q: The complaint says you tried to force a colleague onto your bike. Your response?<\/strong>
\nRajagopal:<\/em>\u00a0“It\u2019s absurd. That day was Good Friday\u2014I was at temple with my family. The hospital records will show I wasn\u2019t even on duty. This is a setup.”<\/p>\n

Q: Why would someone file a false case?<\/strong>
\nRavindra Babu:<\/em>\u00a0“For years, we\u2019ve fought for fair wages and conditions. Some powerful people want us silenced. My brother\u2019s Dalit identity makes him a bigger target.”<\/p>\n

Q: What\u2019s your next step?<\/strong>
\nRajagopal:<\/em>\u00a0“We\u2019ll prove our innocence in court. The mobile tower data will show where we really were. But the damage to our reputations? That\u2019s harder to undo.”<\/p>\n

Q: The media ran with the story without your side. Why?<\/strong>
\nRavindra:<\/em>\u00a0“Sensationalism sells. We sent a legal notice, but they refused it. Now we\u2019re \u2018accused\u2019 in the public eye, even before the trial.”<\/p>\n

\n

Pull Quotes\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • \n

    “Thirty years of service, and this is how they treat us?” \u2013 Rajagopal B.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    “They chose a holiday because the records would show we weren\u2019t there. This was planned.” \u2013 Ravindra Babu<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    “My mother hasn\u2019t stopped crying since the news broke. Is this the price for fighting for workers?”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    “If the truth doesn\u2019t win, no union leader will ever feel safe again.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \n

    Summary<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

    Two longtime hospital union leaders in Bengaluru claim a harassment case against them is fake\u2014filed on a holiday they weren\u2019t even working. They allege it\u2019s a conspiracy to remove them, citing caste and union tensions. Now, they\u2019re battling for justice in court and in the media.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Representational Image: Manipal Hospital Labour Union<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    <\/div>\n

    <\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    False Criminal Case Filed Against Labor Leaders in Attempt to Remove Them from Union and Jobs Veteran Hospital Union Leaders Allege Conspiracy; Claim Charges Are Baseless and Motivated Bengaluru, 11 June, 2025\u00a0\u2013 Two senior leaders of the Manipal Hospitals Labor Association have accused certain factions within the hospital of orchestrating a conspiracy to remove them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[198,63],"tags":[86],"class_list":["post-4427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bengaluru","category-health","tag-manipal-hospital"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":8,"today_views":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4431,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4427\/revisions\/4431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}