The Karnataka government has suspended senior IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao after purported objectionable videos surfaced, citing the need for immediate administrative action.
Karnataka DGP K Ramachandra Rao in an undated photograph. (Pic: Facebook)
The Karnataka government on Monday night suspended Dr K Ramachandra Rao, the Director General of Police in the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement, with immediate effect after a purported objectionable video linked to him went viral.
Rao, a 1993-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre, has denied the allegations and claimed that the videos circulating on social media are manipulated.
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The suspension comes amid growing political and administrative unease over the content of the clips and their public circulation.
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Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said the government acted swiftly, stressing that seniority was not a factor in the decision.
“We took immediate action. Anything can happen after the investigation. He can also be dismissed. We took this decision because we had to take immediate action. We took action without any hesitation, without looking at the fact that he is a senior officer,” Parameshwara said.
He added that further steps would follow the outcome of the investigation.
“We will take further action after looking at what comes out in the investigation. Not only the police department, but any department cannot accept such incidents and that is why we took immediate action. The CM is also upset, I am also upset. Since this is our department, we did not find it right,” he said.
Sources confirmed to IANS that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed the Home Department to submit a report on the matter.
Responding to the controversy, Rao told reporters in Bengaluru that the videos did not reflect any real incident.
“These are manipulated videos. No such incident has taken place. I will discuss the matter with my advocate and take a decision in this regard,” IANS quoted Rao as saying.
Following the emergence of the videos, Rao went to the office of Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara to offer clarification.
However, IANS mentioned sources as saying that the minister conveyed through staff that he would not be able to meet him. Rao then left the premises.
The purported videos, which surfaced on Monday, show Rao inside his office, both in uniform and in civilian attire, allegedly engaging in intimate behaviour with a woman. In one clip, he is seen kissing the woman while seated in uniform. In another, he appears in a suit, seated in front of the Indian flag and the police emblem.
The woman’s face has been blurred. Background music and captions were added before the clips were circulated online.
Reports suggest the footage was recorded over a year ago and captured by CCTV cameras installed in the office. There is no clarity on why the videos surfaced now.
The episode has caused embarrassment for the Karnataka Police Department, with sources indicating that the Chief Minister is upset over the development.
Former Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra criticised Rao sharply.
“If a senior IPS officer can stoop down to this level, I am short of words. These officers must be role models. They should not be spared, and action must be initiated in this regard,” he said.
In March 2025, Rao was placed on compulsory leave in connection with a gold smuggling case. He was reinstated recently.
He has been accused of assisting his stepdaughter, actress Ranya Rao, who was arrested for allegedly smuggling gold and misusing his name to bypass security protocols.
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