Ramachandra Rao, 1993-batch Karnataka IPS officer, is in the spotlight again after a video allegedly showing him in a compromising position with a woman went viral. The controversy erupted over an alleged inappropriate video shot inside his official chamber, following which the Karnataka government on Monday suspended the Director General of Police (Civil Rights Enforcement).
The video triggered a political and administrative storm in the state.
An official order issued on Monday by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) initiating disciplinary action, said, “Vide videos and news reports widely broadcast on public news channels and media platforms, it is observed that Dr K Ramachandra Rao has acted in an obscene manner which is unbecoming of a Government Servant and also causing embarrassment to the Government.”
Rao denied the allegations, claiming the video was fake and baseless. Asserting that he had no knowledge of its origin, he told PTI“I am shocked. It is all fabricated, a lie. The video is all false. I have no idea about it.”
Rejecting allegations, he insisted that the clip circulating online was not genuine and said, “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 made this statement in an interview with PTI outside Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara’s residence.
This is the second time the senior IPS officer has made headlines. Previously, he was in the spotlight in connection with his stepdaughter Ranya Rao’s gold smuggling case.
Ranya Rao’s high-profile gold smuggling case
In March last year, in a high-profile gold smuggling case, the Karnataka government sent the 59-year-old officer on compulsory leave following the arrest of his stepdaughter, actress Ranya Rao. On 3 March, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested her at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport upon her arrival from Dubai.
Customs officials and the Karnataka police accused the 34-year-old of misusing police escorts after seizing gold bars worth ₹12.56 crore from her possession, and another ₹2.06 crore in gold and cash amounting to ₹2.67 crore from her Bengaluru residence.
Months later, the Karnataka government had reinstated Rao. In August last year, he was appointed DGP of the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement. This development came after the state withdrew a compulsory leave order.
