In a big embarrassment to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, senior police official Narayan Barmani has applied for voluntary retirement, citing humiliation by the CM on a political platform in Belagavi two months back.
Barmani, 31-year-old Additional SP in Dharwad and having four more years of service, said he was extremely pained by the incident. Additional Superintendent of Police Narayan Baramani, who had only recently resigned, returned to work on Thursday, following a conversation with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara. He has, however, left it to the government to decide.
Baramani had apparently been resigning, after a fallout in Belagavi where he was said to have been insulted by CM Siddaramaiah during a public function. The incident had apparently humiliated the officer and made him pen a letter to the Home Ministry on the subject.
Addressing reporters, Baramani indicated that he was not inclined to compromise on his decision to resign, stating: “I have conveyed the full sequence of events and my feelings to the senior officers.”
He, however, confirmed that talks had been held with both the CM and the home minister, stating, "After talking to them, I have put the incident behind me and gone back to work." With a heavy heart, he added, "The ball is in the government's court now. It is up to them to decide."
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A senior IPS officer, who wished to remain anonymous, however, commented that it was premature to pass any judgement. He further stated, "He is still in service and will fulfil his duties.
In a June 12 letter, to the Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru, requesting voluntary retirement (VRS) from service, Barmani wrote, "Having been publicly insulted and humiliated by the Chief Minister for a mistake I did not commit, I am left with no other option but to voluntarily resign from my service. I request you to kindly accept my resignation."
The three-page letter sets out the emotional cost the incident has imposed on the officer and the demoralising impact it has had on the whole police service. The Chief Minister's "rude and humiliating" actions while he was in uniform, Barmani claims, were an insult not only to him as an individual, but to the dignity of the police service in general.
The row goes back to a public protest led by Congress in Belagavi against inflation. During the protest, an unidentified group in the crowd waved black flags, causing visible ire among Siddaramaiah. Enraged at the security breach, the Chief Minister called Barmani, who was standing near the dais, on to the stage. In plain public sight and in the presence of media cameras, Siddaramaiah reportedly raised his hand angrily, as if to slap Barmani. The officer reportedly stepped aside to dodge the blow.
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