K'taka govt persuades cop 'humiliated' by Siddaramaiah to return to duty

Bengaluru, July 3 (IANS) The Karnataka government has convinced the police officer who was allegedly “humiliated” by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to return to duty, sources confirmed on Thursday.

Karnataka Additional Superintendent of Police Narayana V Baramani's resignation had threatened to become a major embarrassment for Siddaramaiah and the state government.

His resignation letter, which contained detailed descriptions of the “humiliation” and distress faced by him and his family after an alleged public rebuke and public slap gesture by the Chief Minister, had sparked widespread outrage.

In his resignation letter addressed to the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Home Affairs (Police Services), Vidhana Soudha, Baramani said that he is submitting for voluntary retirement due to alleged “humiliation” by the Chief Minister.

Baramani, speaking to the media on Thursday, stated that he had conveyed his feelings to senior officers. “I have resumed duty. Senior officers, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Home Minister G. Parameshwara have spoken to me regarding the matter,” he said.

However, he refused to comment on the status of his resignation letter or whether he intends to withdraw it.

Sources revealed that despite repeated efforts, Baramani was initially unwilling to reconsider his decision. He was ultimately persuaded by Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs H. K. Patil.

Baramani had served for a long time as a police inspector in Gadag, which is Minister Patil’s native district, and the two are known to share a close bond.

It was Patil who finally convinced Baramani to return to duty and not press the department to accept his resignation, sources said.

Baramani, in his resignation letter, said, "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah raised his hand at me in a threatening manner, attempting to strike me. I instinctively stepped back and narrowly avoided being slapped."

“A Chief Minister publicly insulting an officer is deeply disturbing. If I, with 31 years of service as an Additional SP, have to endure such humiliation, one can only imagine the plight of officers in lower ranks. I consider this a public insult and submit my resignation in protest of the Chief Minister’s behaviour,” he alleged.

"Relatives and former colleagues have called to express their outrage. I was so distressed that I did not leave my house. My wife and children broke down in tears upon seeing me. We couldn’t speak; the whole day passed in silence. Neither the Chief Minister nor any officer from his government nor my department tried to console me. Even my colleagues did not express moral support or solidarity. This deepened the emotional toll," Additional SP stated.

Additional SP Baramani had submitted his resignation on June 12. The incident occurred on April 28 in Belagavi during a Congress convention.

--IANS

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