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CM orders probe into charges against top cop
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah orders an inquiry into a video allegedly showing DGP K Ramachandra Rao inappropriately behaving with a woman at work.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday directed the state home department to conduct a preliminary inquiry into a clip circulating on social media purportedly showing senior IPS officer and director general of police of the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE), K Ramachandra Rao, engaging in inappropriate behaviour with a woman while on duty at his office.
Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, Siddaramaiah said he was made aware of the clip in question, which consists of three clips stitched together, only on Monday.
“No matter how senior the officer is, disciplinary action will be taken if there is misconduct,” he added.
State minister for women and children’s development Laxmi Hebbalkar also said that action would be taken, regardless of seniority, if the allegations were proven true.
Opposition parties have demanded Rao’s immediate suspension and a thorough investigation into the clip, accusing the government of allegedly protecting influential officers and failing to act decisively in the interest of institutional integrity.
Senior BJP MLA and former state minister S Suresh Kumar slammed the DGP’s alleged actions in a statement. “Rao has committed an act that has brought a blot on the entire police department. The act committed by this senior officer, in uniform and within his own office, has made people view the police department itself with suspicion and doubt,” he said.
“Earlier, when large-scale gold smuggling was perpetrated through the misuse of his name and position, the government washed its hands off the matter by by sending him on compulsory leave. The government must examine the issue very seriously. Simply sending him on compulsory leave again will not bring any credit to the government,” he added.
In a post on X, the Janata Dal (Secular) also slammed Rao over the allegations. “The exposure of DGP Ramachandra Rao’s conduct has made the entire state police department bow its head in shame. Forgetting the dignity of the police uniform and indulging in such acts with women inside his office is an unpardonable offence’’ the party wrote.
Ramachandra Rao has roundly denied the allegations, claiming that the video was allegedly generated by artificial intelligence. “This is a systematic conspiracy to tarnish my image and destroy my professional reputation. I have also seen the video today. It is completely manipulated and created using AI technology,” he said.
Speaking to reporters in front of state home minister G Parameshwara’s residence on Monday, he claimed the video was fabricated from a clip recorded eight years ago, when he was posted in Belagavi. “I am also thinking how and when it happened and who has done it. In this era anything can happen. I have no idea about it,” he said.
The DGP’s meeting with the home minister could not take place.
Remarking on the development, former Bengaluru city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao said, “Incidents like this are embarrassing for the police department. When the government fails to take strict action against guilty police officers, such cases keep recurring. Lack of accountability within the system is the main reason these incidents continue to happen.”
Ramachandra Rao was in the news earlier, in relation to the high-profile gold smuggling case in which his step- daughter Ranya Rao was convicted in July 2025.
He was sent on compulsory leave on March 15 after a probe was initiated into allegations of official protocol being flouted in that case. Later, he was reinstated and appointed to his current position.
(with PTI inputs)
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