Karnataka IPS officer on way to take up first posting dies in road crash

Bengaluru: An IPS probationary officer died in a road accident on Sunday while on his way to take up his first posting in Hassan district, police said.

Harsh Bardhan, a 2023-bach officer of the Karnataka cadre, was travelling from Mysuru to Hassan in an official car when the crash occurred near Kittane, about 10 km from Hassan, around 4:20 pm.

The driver — a District Armed Reserve (DAR) constable named Manjegowda — lost control of the car due to a reported tyre burst, causing the vehicle to crash into a roadside tree and a house before coming to a halt, according to an officer in the Hassan district police.

Bardhan sustained severe head injuries and was rushed to Hassan's Janapriya Hospital. While arrangements were made to shift him to a Bengaluru hospital through a green (zero-traffic) corridor, he succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, Manjegowda suffered minor injuries and is being treated in the Hassan hospital.

A native of Dosar village in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli district, 25-year-old Bardhan had recently completed his four-week training at the Karnataka Police Academy (KPA) in Mysuru and was en route to take up his first posting as the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Hassan, officials said.

Bardhan's family is originally from Bihar. His father, Akhilesh, is a sub-divisional magistrate. A civil engineer by training, Bardhan had completed district practical training in Hassan for six months.