Senior IPS officer K. Ramachandra Rao, who is also the Director General of Police for Civil Rights Enforcement, Karnataka, was suspended on Tuesday due to an allegedly explicit video of him going viral on various social media platforms. The government of Karnataka has ordered an inquiry into the incident, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has demanded an explanation.
Addressing the media in Belagavi, Siddaramaiah said he was informed about the video on Monday and pointed out that it comprised three edited clips. He said, “No matter how senior the officer is, disciplinary action will be taken if there is misconduct.”
The video, made up of three pieces of joined footage that appear to catch the senior police officer in the act of compromising himself with a woman or women, is still not clear whether the video is of one woman or more than one woman.
However, Rao has denied the allegations, claiming the video is a fabrication and that he has no idea where it originated.
Also Read | Delhi-NCR chokes under dense smog; AQI at 379 as several areas slip into ‘severe’ zone
Who is Ramachandra Rao?
Ramachandra Rao was elevated to the position of Director General of Police (DGP) in September 2023 and took over as Director General of Police in October 2023. Before his promotion, he was the Chairman and Managing Director of Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.
Throughout his service, Rao has had a number of important postings, including as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the Southern Range, which later came into controversy because of a cash seizure incident.
2014 money seizure controversy
During the time of Rao as IGP, a private bus carrying passengers towards Calicut was intercepted near Mysuru in early 2014. The police alleged that they seized ₹20 lakh from four Kerala-based merchants. However, the merchants claimed that ₹2.27 crore was seized, and the police conspired with another businessman.
Though Rao denied any involvement, a CID inquiry is said to have pointed out serious procedural irregularities. Later, a senior police officer told the Bangalore Mirror, “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.”
Rao has also been in the public eye due to the gold smuggling case involving his stepdaughter, actor Ranya Rao, though he has not been named as an accused in that matter.
