‘We spoke about…’: Senior civil servant recalls his interaction with Karnataka IPS officer who died in road accident

Srinivas Katikithala, the civil servant in the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, New Delhi, reminisced about his brief interaction with Harsh Bardhan.

People from across sectors are mourning the death of a 26-year-old probationary IPS officer who died in a road accident in Karnataka’s Haasan district on Sunday evening. Harsh Bardhan reportedly cleared his UPSC exam on the first attempt; he was all set to take his first charge, and the unfortunate accident came as a shocker to his dear ones.

Harsh Bardhan reportedly cleared his UPSC exam on the first attempt; he was all set to take his first charge in Mysuru.

In an X post, Srinivas Katikithala, the civil servant in the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in New Delhi, reminisced about his brief interaction with Harsh Bardhan a few days ago before the incident.

Here is the post

He said they spoke about Harsh Bardhan’s native Rewa, a district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh. Katikithala wrote, “Bindu & I deeply mourn the tragic demise of our young IPS trainee from the 98th FC. Harsh Bardhan was bright, cheerful and dedicated to public service. We remember our conversations with him about Rewa, his native town. He went too soon. May his soul rest in peace.”

Bardhan's classmates and batchmates also expressed shock at his sudden death and remembered their moments with him. Shailendra Singh, one of Bardhan's classmates, wrote, “I am feeling so sad and frustrated right now. Harsh was my classmate in college. He worked hard all his life and cleared UPSC.”

The young police officer was on his way to Hassan district to assume his duties as a probationary Assistant Superintendent of Police in Holenarasipur of Hassan district on Sunday evening when the accident happened. Though he was rushed to the hospital, he succumbed to severe head injuries. The driver, identified as Manjegowda, sustained minor injuries in the crash. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and top police officials paid condolences to the family of Harsh Bardhan.