Officer humiliated by Siddaramaiah during Belagavi conference now posted as DCP

A Karnataka State Police Service officer Narayan Baramani who sought voluntary retirement from service a few weeks ago saying that he could not tolerate the public humiliation by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been posted as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) in Belagavi.

IPS officer Rohan Jagadeesh who served as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) for nearly two years has been transferred as Superintendent of Police in Gadag.

Mr. Baramani, who was Additional Superintendent of Police in Dharwad, sought voluntary retirement from service saying he was unable to continue in service after suffering public humiliation by the Chief Minister.

In a three-page letter, he described himself as a disciplined police officer who served the department with integrity for three decades. He sent the letter on June 12.

Later, he withheld his request after persuasion by the Chief Minister, Home Minister G. Parameshwara and Minister H.K. Patil. He rejoined duty in Dharwad on July 3.

Meanwhile, Mr. Baramani dismissed as baseless rumours speculation that he was planning to join the BJP and contest from Belagavi North Assembly Constituency.

Mr. Baramani who joined service as a Sub-Inspector has had a chequered career. He was known as a tough officer who tried to end rowdyism in Belagavi, during the tenure of Hemant Nimbalkar as Superintendent of Police.

Resident organisations feted him, along with other officers like Mahantesh Jiddi, for eliminating anti-social elements in the city.

He has also faced some controversy. He was suspended in 2008 on the charge of amassing disproportionate amounts of wealth.

The Lokayukta found that Mr. Baramani accumulated disproportionate assets to the tune of 93% in excess of his known sources of income and that he created assets like a stone crusher, farmland and house during his service between 1994 and 2008.

However, he was exonerated in a departmental inquiry on merit before being reinstated.

A District Court in Bagalkot dismissed the case against him in 2017 saying that investigation officers erred in estimating the value of assets and also other reasons. The High Court of Karnataka upheld this order in 2022.