Karnataka Top Cop Ramachandra Rao Suspended Over Alleged Viral Sleazy Videos

Karnataka Director General of Police (Civil Rights Enforcement) K Ramachandra Rao has been suspended after multiple videos purportedly showing him in a compromising position with women went viral on social media on Monday.

The unverified clips showed him with the women in what appeared to be his office. Some sleazy audio clips also surfaced in which Rao was purportedly heard speaking to women.

Rao acted in an "obscene manner which is unbecoming of a government servant and also caused embarrassment to the government", his suspension order read.

The state government is convinced that Rao's conduct is in violation of the rules, the official order said.

"The State Government is prima facie satisfied that it is necessary to place Dr K. Ramachandra Rao, Director General of Police, Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement, under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry," it added.

During the period of suspension, Rao can't leave the headquarters "under any circumstances" without the written permission of the state government, according to the order.

K Ramachandra Rao Rejects Allegations

K Ramachandra Rao, however, has rejected the allegations and termed them "fabricated and false."

As the videos went viral on Monday, he also rushed to meet Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara at his residence, but the meeting did not take place.

"I am shocked. It is all fabricated and a lie. The video is all false. I have no idea about it," he told reporters outside Parameshwara's house.

"I am also thinking about how and when it happened and who has done it. In this era anything can happen. I have no idea about it," he added.

Asked if those are old videos, Rao, a 1993 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, said, "Old means eight years ago when I was in Belagavi."

Siddaramaiah On K Ramachandra Rao's Alleged Clips

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had on Monday warned of action if the official was found guilty.

"I got to know about it in the morning. We will initiate disciplinary action against him. No one is above the law, notwithstanding how senior the police officer is," he said.

Senior BJP MLA and former minister S Suresh Kumar called it a "disgraceful act" and "an inexcusable crime".

"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," Kumar said.

K Ramachandra Rao's Troubled Past

K Ramachandra Rao had previously faced allegations that he helped his stepdaughter and actor Ranya Rao, who was arrested last year for smuggling gold into the country.

It was alleged that he helped her evade customs and police checks by using official protocol and police escorts.

Following the uproar, Rao, who was serving as the chairman and managing director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation, was sent on compulsory leave in March.

He was later reinstated by the state government following an investigation.

In August, he was appointed as the DGP for the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement.