Karnataka Director General of Police (Civil Rights Enforcement) K Ramachandra Rao was suspended by the government on Tuesday. The removal of the top cop comes after state chief minister Siddaramaiah ordered a probe due to an inappropriate video of the senior IPS officer going viral on social media.
After the circulation of the video, in which Rao was seen in comprising position a woman, the top cop was suspended, pending further inquiry. Follow LIVE updates here
The video going viral on social media shows Rao in a comprising position with women. However, it is yet to be cleared if the inappropriate behaviour was carried out with one woman or multiple.
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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.
{{/usCountry}}“No matter how senior the officer is, disciplinary action will be taken if there is misconduct,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Rao, who is also the father of actor Ranya Rao, has rejected the allegations outright, insisting the video was fake and that he had no knowledge of its origin.
Who is Ramachandra Rao?
Rao, who was already in the headlines due to his stepdaughter Ranya Rao's gold smuggling case, was promoted to the post of DGP in September 2023 and assumed office in October 2023.
Before that, he served as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.
Rao has also served as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Southern Range. During this tenure, his name emerged in a controversial money seizure in 2014.
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In early 2014, a Calicut-bound private bus was stopped near Mysuru’s Yelwal, where Mysore South Police seized the amount that was being transported by four Kerala-based merchants.
The police claimed to have seized ₹20 lakh, however, the merchants alleged that the total sum seized was ₹2.27 crore, and accused the police of colluding with another businessman to loot them.
While Rao has denied all wrongdoing, one of the officers present during the raid stated that the officer had colluded in the alleged robbery.
“In Rao’s case, the CID has clearly mentioned that there was a great degree of lapse on the part of Rao and a deputy superintendent of police after it was brought to their notice that a few policemen, including a gunman attached to the IGP, were involved in the robbery,” a senior police officer told the Bangalore Mirror.