Mon Dec 02 15:43:07 UTC 2024: ## Young IPS Officer Dies in Accident, Sparking Concerns Over Vehicle Safety
**Shivamogga, Karnataka – December 2, 2024** – Harsh Bardhan, a 27-year-old probationary IPS officer, died on Sunday following a road accident near Hassan, Karnataka. The 2023-batch officer was traveling to Hassan to assume his duties as Assistant Superintendent of Police when the police vehicle he was in collided with a house.
Bardhan suffered serious head injuries and succumbed to them late Sunday evening. A post-mortem was conducted at the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences. His parents, who traveled from Madhya Pradesh after being notified of the accident, received his remains on Monday. His father, Akhilesh Kumar Singh, is a sub-divisional magistrate.
A case has been registered against the driver, Manje Gowda, under sections 281 (rash driving) and 125 (rash and negligent act endangering human life) of the Indian Penal Code (BNS likely refers to the Indian Penal Code). The complaint alleges Gowda was driving rashly and negligently, resulting in the vehicle hitting electric poles, a coconut tree, and finally a house.
The accident has prompted calls for improved vehicle safety for police officers. Hassan MLA Swaroop Prakash expressed concern about the condition of police vehicles, stating that officers often struggle to keep pace with high-speed vehicles of dignitaries. He vowed to raise this issue in the upcoming legislative session. Senior police officers and local officials paid their respects to the deceased officer.
First Piper 