Siddaramaiah Under Fire as Karnataka ASP Seeks Exit Over Rally Tirade

Additional Superintendent of Police Narayan Barmani has applied for voluntary retirement, saying he was publicly humiliated by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during a Congress rally in Belagavi on 28 April. Video from the event appeared to show the chief minister shouting at the officer and raising his hand as if to slap him after protesters waving black flags disrupted the programme. In a 14 June letter to the state Home Secretary, Barmani said the episode left him and his family demoralised and that no senior official had apologised or offered support. The officer called his action a protest against what he described as “insult” to every honest public servant. The controversy intensified on 3 July when Siddaramaiah brusquely dismissed media questions about the resignation, asking a reporter whether he was aligned with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Home Minister G. Parameshwara later telephoned Barmani, assuring him of a fresh posting and insisting the outburst was an emotional reaction with no personal malice. Opposition parties have demanded the chief minister apologise or step down, while the governing Congress has sought to contain the damage, portraying the confrontation as a momentary lapse. As of late Thursday, Barmani’s retirement request has not been accepted, keeping the standoff between the officer and the state’s top leadership unresolved.