Businessman murdered by wife, boyfriend for not giving Rs 8 crore; body dumped in Kodagu after driving 800km 

Beltangady, Jan 10: Traffic on the treacherous Charmadi Ghat came to an abrupt halt on Friday night after a wild elephant descended onto the roadway between the second and third hairpin bends, triggering over an hour of complete chaos.

The dramatic encounter unfolded around 9.45 p.m. when the elephant reportedly uprooted a tree and positioned itself squarely in the middle of the narrow ghat stretch, calmly feasting while motorists watched in fear. With the massive animal refusing to budge, a long queue of vehicles quickly formed on both sides of the road.

Several motorists cautiously attempted to drive the elephant back toward the forest, but the lone tusker remained unmoved, leaving travellers stranded deep inside the ghat section.

Eyewitnesses stated that the situation became even more distressing as the location had no mobile network connectivity, preventing stranded commuters from contacting authorities or alerting others about the danger ahead.

The standoff finally eased only after the elephant slowly retreated into the darkness of the forest, allowing trapped vehicles to inch forward and continue their journey.

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.

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) has announced that admissions to undergraduate programmes in physiotherapy and occupational therapy will henceforth be conducted exclusively through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

In a press release issued by Prof. U. T. Iftikhar Ali Fareed, Chairman of the Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council, stated that the NCAHP has clarified the category-wise degree nomenclature and admission criteria for allied and healthcare undergraduate programmes, effective from the academic year 2026–27.

According to the notification, admissions to the Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) – Category 3 and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) – Category 6 will be conducted only through NEET, in accordance with the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021.

All Vice-Chancellors of public, private, and deemed-to-be universities in Karnataka have been asked to ensure strict compliance with the NCAHP guidelines and to disseminate the information widely among affiliated colleges, faculty, and students.

Prof. Ifthikar Ali emphasized that universities must take necessary steps to implement the admission procedure for the academic year 2026–27 and subsequent years.