Bengaluru: A top cop in Karnataka, Dr K Ramachandra Rao – part of the 1993 batch of IPS officers – now faces sharp criticism online and off, following a clip spreading fast across platforms that appears to show him alongside a woman in a questionable setting. By Monday, state authorities had stepped in, halting his duties without delay.

A whisper turned into headlines when footage emerged from within Dr Rao’s office. Though holding the rank of Director General of Police – tasked with civil rights enforcement – he now faces claims of misconduct caught on camera. Screens flashed with the clip, spreading fast through TV segments and online spaces. That ripple became a wave, shaking both political corridors and bureaucratic halls. Behavior once taken for granted now stands under glare, dragging dignity and duty into debate. What happens next rests in hands beyond his own.

After the video spread fast online, DPAR moved to start discipline steps for Rao. Citing widespread coverage across TV and digital platforms, the notice said he reportedly behaved in ways unfitting for someone serving under the government. Public reaction followed reports showing his actions brought discomfort to top officials.

That behavior, deemed offensive, triggered instant removal plus a probe into the incident. Government reacted fast – this shows how heavily they weigh public anger along with political responses.

Fake, that video. Not real, according to Rao. He pushed back hard on every claim made against him. Stunned – that’s how the official described his reaction when hearing the accusations. To PTI, he stressed he did not recognize where the footage came from. Or if it was even genuine. Total fiction, in his view. Made-up stories, nothing more. His words were sharp: false from start to finish. Zero awareness, he claimed, about its source.

Still saying he did not do it, Rao claimed the video spreading online was fake, hinting someone might have made it to hurt his image. How this came about, who is behind it – those questions are running through my mind, he said to PTI, standing near the home of Karnataka’s Home Minister G Parameshwara. These days, strange things show up out of nowhere.

Twice now, Dr Ramachandra Rao has stepped into the glare of public eyes. Last year, it was a dramatic gold smuggling charge tied to his stepdaughter, film actor Ranya Rao, that stirred the entire region. A fresh dispute brings him back under watch once more.

Ranya Rao Involved in Gold Smuggling Incident

That March, state authorities in Karnataka suspended a 59-year-old IPS official after the DRI detained Ranya Rao. Her capture happened early that month at Kempegowda airport in Bengaluru, moments after stepping off a flight from Dubai.

A woman known for films faced trouble after border agents and local law enforcement said she brought gold into India using a police security detail improperly. Gold valued at twelve point five six crore rupees was taken from her at the airport. When officers looked through her home in Bengaluru, they found more hidden gold – worth over two crore rupees – and nearly two point seven crore in cash. The total haul stretched well beyond what one person should legally carry.

Folks across the country started watching once the stash turned out huge, then whispers spread about power being bent for personal gain. When it came out that Rao knew one of those charged, tensions climbed fast – officials moved quick, pulling him off duty without delay.

Later on, following a review, officials in Karnataka took back the mandatory leave directive, bringing Rao back to duty. By August of the previous year, a new role came his way – chief of the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement – putting him once more at the center of state law enforcement work.

Uncertainty shadows Dr Ramachandra Rao’s position in the police after fresh accusations led to his temporary removal. Moving through official channels now, the matter will likely draw steady attention – not just from oversight bodies, but also from lawmakers and citizens watching closely. Though processes unfold behind closed doors, eyes stay fixed on what comes next.