Air Warriors' vroom on city roads

Mangalore September 23: A motorcycle expedition flagged off from Mysore with twin goals of celebrating the golden jubilee year of 2 Air Force Selection Board (2AFSB) and to encourage youth to join the Indian Air Force reached Mangalore on Thursday.

The team of 16 'Air warriors' from the unit rode into St Aloysius College and disbursed handbills with the message to join IAF in order to realise a life quality and adventure.

Briefing media person, Wing Commander Vinay Panthari said 15 air warriors were handpicked and trained for the gruelling expedition which aims to cover 5,000 Km in the southern states of Indian. The motorcycle expedition flagged off from Mysore at 12.30 pm on September 21 and reached Bangalore.

On the Thursday the team set out at 6 am and touched Mangalore at about 4.30 pm. Friday and later in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderbad, West Bengal, Chennai, Puducherry, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, Cochin, Coimbatore and Mysore. The expedition which has already covered 900 km will end on October 6, he informed.

While stopping for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the team makes it a point to disburse handbills motivating youth to join the Air Force. Before retiring at night, they make it a point to increase awareness about IAF among youth. Wing Commander Vinay Panthari who joined IAF 10 years ago has completed 2,700 hours of flying.

He also shared a hair-raising experienced of having flown from New Delhi to Guwahati through turbulent weather and safely landing the plane.

The team also comprises four warriors from Karnataka who joined the unit about four years ago.

Ravindra, Putte Gowda from Mysore, Mahesh and Baby from Bangalore expressed happiness on being part of the expedition.

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Who is Ramachandra Rao? Karnataka DGP, actress Ranya’s stepfather suspended over viral ‘obscene’ video

News Network

January 20,2026

Karnataka DGP (Civil Rights Enforcement) K Ramachandra Rao was suspended with immediate effect, as per a state government order issued on Monday, 19 January. The order cited conduct unbecoming of a government servant and causing embarrassment to the state administration.

The Karnataka government suspended Rao after a purported video showed him in a compromising position with a woman inside his official chamber. The video went viral on social media. Rao rejected the videos outright, terming them "fabricated and false".

Who is K Ramachandra Rao?

Rao is a DGP-rank officer who was heading the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement until his suspension. He was promoted to DGP in September 2023 and assumed office in October 2023, the Sunday Guardian reported.

He also served as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.

His stint as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the Southern Range was also marred by controversy. In 2014, during a cash seizure near Mysuru’s Yelwal, officials claimed the seized amount was ₹20 lakh, while the accused (Kerala-based merchants) claimed it was around ₹2.27 crore.

Rao, who was present during the seizure, denied all allegations. However, he was transferred soon after.

Allegations of collusion with a businessman surfaced, and a senior police officer was quoted by The Sunday Guardian as saying, “In Rao’s case, the CID has clearly mentioned that there was a great degree of lapse on the part of Rao and a deputy superintendent of police after it was brought to their notice that a few policemen, including a gunman attached to the IGP, were involved in the robbery.”

Rao had denied all wrongdoing in that incident. Despite past controversies, he rose to the state’s top police position, the Sunday Guardian reported.

Ranya Rao’s stepfather

Rao is the stepfather of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, accused of orchestrating the illegal import of gold worth over ₹12.56 crore from Dubai to India along with two others — businessman Tarun Raju, and jewellery dealer Sahil Jain.

‘Obscene video’ controversy

A viral video showed Rao behaving inappropriately with a woman inside his office while in uniform.

The Karnataka government said in its Monday order that “vide videos and news reports widely broadcast on public news channels and media platforms, it is observed that Dr K Ramachandra Rao has acted in an obscene manner which is unbecoming of a Government Servant and also causing embarrassment to the Government.”

The order said the matter was examined by the state government, which found that the officer's conduct amounted to a violation of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.

The government said it is prima facie satisfied that "it is necessary to place Rao under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry".

During the suspension period, Rao will be entitled to subsistence allowance as per Rule 4 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.

The order also places restrictions on his movement, stating that during the period of suspension, the officer must not leave headquarters under any circumstances without the written permission of the state government.

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