Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Narayan Baramani of Dharwad district, who was publicly humiliated by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah during a public event in Belagavi, took voluntary retirement. He refuses to withdraw his resignation.
In his resignation letter addressed to the chief secretary, ASP Baramani wrote, “Having been publicly insulted and humiliated by the behaviour of the CM on a public platform for a mistake I did not commit, I have no other option but to voluntarily resign, and I request that you accept this.”
A video of the incident, which occurred in April, was widely circulated on social media platforms, bringing embarrassment to the Karnataka government and strong criticism from opposition parties.
ASP Baramani was in charge of managing security around the stage. However, during the Congress event, BJP women workers were seen protesting in close proximity to the stage, which angered CM Siddaramaiah. He summoned the officer and raised his hand as if to slap him.
“You, whoever you are, come here, what were you doing?” he asked the ASP.
The Janata Dal (Secular) took to X to condemn Siddaramaiah’s actions, accusing him of arrogance and disrespect. In a strongly worded post, the JDS said that raising a hand against a government officer and addressing him in a demeaning tone amounted to an “unforgivable crime.”
The police officer remained steadfast in his decision despite multiple appeals, including personal requests from CM Siddaramaiah and state home minister G Parameshwara.
