Adam Bidapa and Nikhil Gowda: Sons in High Places Throw Tantrums

"It's no longer about me and my son," said Banagalore fashion designer Prasad Bidapa, "It's about safety of our young people". Mr. Bidapa was holding forth in the wake of his son, Adam's arrest, and subsequent release on bail, for alleged assault on a city cop in a late night Bangalore pub brawl recently. In a spirited media statement Mr. Prasad asked, "Is it a sin to let your kids go out for an evening?" Doesn't he make it sound as if there was police-raj, and our young folks on a night out for fun were no longer safe from the police patrol squad? I don't suppose very many parents would buy this.

Media reports of what happened with Mr. Bidapa's son, Adam don't quite support this contention. For those unfamiliar with the incident, a police officer on late night rounds noticed that a pub in the city was doing business beyond licensing hours. When a police patrol was sent to enquire, Adam, who was at the lounge bar, weighed in. There was an argument that led to an altercation with the police, which gave way to an alleged assault (by whom, on whom, or whether on each other is under investigation).

Adam was 'whisked away', in his father's words, to the police station to spend the night. His parents went there, and apparently got into a spat with the police. Adam's mother, Judith, got so worked up that she 'accidentally' hit a police officer. At the time of writing this piece the police were still looking for her, with an arrest warrant, for alleged misbehavior.

The script is typical of a celebrity family throwing its weight about, and the police throwing the book at them, citing the cliché, 'No one is above Law'. Had it not been for the celebrity tantrums of Mr. Bidapa's wife and son, the police may well have shown 'compassion' and put the incident behind them. Or even co-operated with the Bidapas in hushing it up from the media.

What we see, instead, is an unrepentant Bidapa blaming the media for carrying 'one-sided' stories. He was painted as 'a party animal chasing Page Three'. And his wife, 'a respected citizen' was being treated like a common criminal. Newspapers love such quotes, even if they slam the media. Mr. Bidapa, as reporters would say, makes good copy. Newspapers may have much to be blamed for, but they cannot be accused of being one-sided in this case. With Adam away in Hong Kong on the family fashion business, and his mother going underground, there is not much the media could do to get their side of the story, could they?

Speaking of kids in high places throwing their weight about, Nikhil Gowda, the teenage son of Karnataka chief minister, along with a couple of friends, reportedly walked into a restaurant on Church Street, Bangalore, with beer bottles in hand and ordered chicken kebab and ghee rice, this, at 3.30 am yesterday morning. When they were told that the kitchen was closed, the boys, taking 'no' for no answer, smashed window panes and things, for which they got a thrashing from the hotel staff. Cross-complaints have been filed, and the police, unlike in the Bidapa case, don't seem all that keen to pursue the case. The CM is quoted in the media as saying, 'the law will take its course'.

Celeb tantrums get big play in the tabloid press. When super model Naomi Campbell was recently arrested, and later released on bail on the charge of clawing her drug counselor in London The Sun devoted its entire front-page to a four deck headline, in poster type:

NUTTY
NAOMI
NICKED
AGAIN
Hits her own drug counselor