Former sprinter Anand Shetty dies in hospital after road mishap near Mangalore

May 21, 2013

Mangalore, May 21: Former international sprinter Anand Shetty, who met with a road accident on Sunday, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Mangalore. He was 52.

Shetty, who hailed from Mani in Dakshina Kannada district, started his career as a kabaddi player before turning into a notable sprinter. He met with an accident two days ago when the car he was travelling in with his wife and daughter was hit by a bus near Kotekar, on the outskirts of city.

He was admitted to a private hospital in Mangalore, where he died on Monday morning, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said in a release. His daughter Ankita, also suffered injuries on her face in the road accident and has undergone corrective surgery.

The body of Anand Shetty was brought to Mangala Stadium on Tuesday evening. The former sprinter had also been the brand ambassador for the Nitte Celebration Run 2013 that was held in Mangalore in February, along with another athlete Vandana Shanbaug.

Expressing her shock at his demise, Vandana Shanbaug said that she could not get over the fact that her fellow athlete was no more. The duo had competed alongside each other at the Asian Games that were held in Seoul in 1986.

Another former international sportsman, Sunil Kumar Shetty, a close acquaintance of Shetty's, said that his demise was very unfortunate, and was a great loss to the district as well as the state and the country.

After showing his mettle in the junior category, Shetty went on to win a 'sprint double' at the senior level in the Open Nationals at Delhi in 1982 and repeated his act again next year at Jamshedpur by winning the gold medals in 100 and 200m runs.

In total, he had won nine senior national titles in sprint events and several gold medals during his career. Representing Dakshina Kannada district in the state championships, Anand Shetty was the gold medalist in 100 and 200m runs for eight consecutive years from 1982 to 1989. For his achievements, he was awarded the Rajyothsava Award from the Government of Karnataka in 1991.

At the international level, Shetty made his major appearance in the Asian Games held at Delhi in 1982 along with Adille Sumariwalla. Before his death, he had been working for Infosys, at Mudipu, on the outskirts of Mangalore.

Adille, President of AFI and former colleague of Shetty in Telco, expressed his shock on hearing his friend's untimely demise.

“The Athletics Federation of India would like to convey its profound grief and condolences to Anand Shetty's family,” the organisation said.

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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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