‘Avoided Slap, Not Humiliation’: Karnataka Cop Firm on Quitting After CM’s Public Rebuke

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‘Avoided Slap, Not Humiliation’: Karnataka Cop Firm on Quitting After CM’s Public Rebuke

A senior Karnataka police officer who sought voluntary retirement after being publicly humiliated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah remains firm on his decision to resign, despite the government’s efforts to placate him. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) NV Baramani submitted his resignation last month, citing “immense mental trauma” after the Chief Minister allegedly berated him and raised his hand as if to slap him during a rally in Belagavi on April 28.

The state government is yet to take a final call on the officer’s request. However, recent developments indicate a standoff, with Home Minister G Parameshwara suggesting on Thursday that the resignation would not be accepted. “There’s nothing like that. I have spoken to him. We will give him a posting,” Parameshwara told reporters. Meanwhile, when questioned about the incident on Wednesday, a visibly irritated Chief Minister Siddaramaiah snapped at a reporter, asking, “Are you from the BJP?”

The controversy stems from a Congress protest rally where Siddaramaiah, angered by a disruption from BJP workers, summoned Baramani to the stage. In a detailed and emotional resignation letter submitted on June 14, the officer recounted the CM shouting, “Hey! Who is this SP here? Get out!” and then raising his hand. “I instinctively stepped back and narrowly avoided being publicly slapped,” Baramani wrote. “Even though I avoided being physically assaulted, I could not escape the public humiliation.”

The officer, with 31 years of service, described the devastating impact on his family, writing of a “funeral-like silence” at his home and his wife and children breaking down in “uncontrollable grief.” He stated that the lack of support from senior officials after the incident, which was broadcast on television, compounded his sense of abandonment and undermined his authority.

“If I, unable to get justice for myself, am expected to deliver justice to others, how fair is that?” Baramani questioned in his letter, highlighting his emotional and sacred connection to his uniform. He concluded that the episode had caused severe trauma and was a matter of concern for every government employee who feels insecure.

The issue has ignited a political firestorm. The BJP slammed the Chief Minister for his “arrogance,” posting on X that the ASP was “nearly been slapped” at a “self-promotional Congress event.” The Janata Dal (Secular) claimed that police officers in Karnataka were “fed up” with what it termed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s “Hitler-like rule.”

While Siddaramaiah and other ministers have reportedly met with Baramani to urge him to reconsider, the officer has so far refused to withdraw his request for voluntary retirement.

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