Karnataka IPS officer, 26, on his way to first job posting, dies in car accident

Harsh Bardhan, a young IPS officer, died in a road accident while on his way to assume his first posting in Karnataka's Hassan district. The 26-year-old officer, a 2023-batch recruit of the Karnataka cadre and a resident of Madhya Pradesh, had recently completed his training at the Karnataka Police Academy in Mysuru.

The accident occurred on Sunday near the Kittane border on the Hassan-Mysuru Highway when the tyre of the police vehicle he was travelling in reportedly burst, causing the driver to lose control. The vehicle veered off the road, crashing into a house and a tree. While Bardhan sustained critical head injuries and died during treatment, the driver escaped with minor injuries.

Visuals from the accident site depict the mangled remains of the police vehicle. Bardhan was en route to report for duty as the probationary Assistant Superintendent of Police in Holenarasipur when the accident unfolded.

#Karnataka: Harsh Bardhan, a 2023-batch #IPS probationer, died on Sunday in an accident near #Hassan in #Karnataka. He was 27 and a native of #Jabalpur in #MadhyaPradesh. May his soul #RIP. pic.twitter.com/PfuzxNEKs4
Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) December 2, 2024

Expressing his grief, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah shared his condolences on X (formerly Twitter). “Saddened to hear about the death of probationary IPS officer Harsh Bardhan in a horrific accident near Kittane border of Hassan-Mysuru Highway. It is very sad that such an accident happened while he was on his way to take charge as an IPS officer. This should not have happened when years of hard work were paying off," he said in a X post written in Kannada.

pic.twitter.com/VwU86IrabiSiddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 2, 2024

The Chief Minister also offered prayers for Bardhan's soul and extended condolences to the grieving family. "I pray to God that Harsh Bardhan's soul rests in peace. My condolences to the family," he added.