Sairam

Hyundai Verna

Hosur

Hamsaveni

Hamsa

Witty Cubs

Divya Gopinath

Bengaluru

All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, said Tolstoy. Thefamily is proof of thatM.R.Sairam, the hapless husband whose wife shot at him thrice after an altercation on May 5, was spirited away from his home in HSR Layout by his daughter on Thursday morning after it emerged that Bangalore police would continue with its investigation into the sensational shootout despite Sairam refusing to cooperate or press charges against his spouse of 27 years.At 8.15 am on Thursday, Sairam’s daughter Vandana arrived at the house in a whiteand within minutes drove away with her father who is still-recuperating.An hour and a half later the father and daughter had crossed into Tamil Nadu, driving towardsThe previous day, speaking exclusively to this newspaper, Sairam who is a partner in his wife’s firm, ACE Facilities and Property Management, had said that he was going to disregard the shootout and continue his life as ever before. “We live together and there is no problem.Such things keep happening in families all the time, I will not press charges against my wife.” His wife, who is at present in judicial custody in central jail, had fired six rounds at him from her .32 mm pistol—three of which had lodged in his abdomen—as they drove back from Hosur. On the drive back, the couple had fought over their only child’s engagement.Sairam tried to escape his wife’s murderous rage by getting into a BMTC bus but to the bus passengers’ horrorhad followed the bleeding man into the bus, still trying to attack him. It was the passengers’ intervention that saved Sriram’s life that day.Sriram who was discharged from hospital after nine days, met us at his home where he was alone except for his two dogs, a dachshund and a rottweiler. Looking remarkably relaxed he said his stitches have still to come off and while he was happy to talk about most things, he categorically did not want to discuss the fight with his wife calling it a “minor argument which should remain within the family circle.” He also refused to be photographed.He said his daughter Vandana, who runs a play school and a day-care centre called, was now looking after him even though she did not live with him. The daughter’s engagement was the purported cause for the couple’s row that day. During initial recording of statement Vandana had told the police about her father’s alleged problems with alcohol.Kolar SPwho was initially in charge of the case had then indicated that the daughter was closer to her mother than the father, adding that the entire case eventually rests on Sairam’s statement which has still to be recorded.With Sairam unwilling to discuss the case and now out of, it’s unlikely this case which has fascinated so many will reach a resolution fast.