Karnataka IPS officer killed in road accident had cracked civil services in first attempt

IPS officer Harsh Bardhan, who died in a road accident in Karnataka while on his way to take up his first posting, had cleared the civil services examination in his maiden attempt, sources close to his family said on Monday.

The last rites will be performed in Bihar, said the father of the 26-year-old deceased who is posted as SDM in Madhya Pradesh.

The accident occurred on Sunday evening when the tyre of the police vehicle carrying the IPS officer burst in Hassan taluk, resulting in the driver losing control at the wheel and the vehicle hitting a house and a tree, police said.

Harsh Bardhan succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.

He was a 2023-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre and hailed from Madhya Pradesh, police said.

Soon after getting news of the tragic accident, his father Akhilesh Singh rushed to Karnataka to collect the mortal remains of his son.

"I and other family members have left for Karnataka to collect his mortal remains," Singh, posted as Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Devsar town of Singrauli district, told PTI.

The last rites will be performed in Saharsa, the home district of the officer, in Bihar as per the wishes of the family, he said.

Harsh Bardhan had cleared the civil services examination in his maiden attempt, family sources said.

The IPS officer had recently completed his four-week training at the Karnataka Police Academy in Mysuru, police said.

According to Karnataka Police, Harsh Bardhan was on his way to Hassan to join duty as a probationary Assistant Superintendent of Police in Holenarasipur.

"The news of the untimely death of 2023 batch Karnataka cadre IPS Shri Harsh Bardhan, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, in a road accident while returning to his first posting in Hassan district after completing training from the Karnataka Police Academy is extremely sad and unfortunate," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav tweeted on X.

The departure of a young officer of the Indian Police Service in this manner is definitely a loss for the nation. I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved family and pray to Baba Mahakal to grant salvation and peace to the departed soul, he added.