In his tenure as the commissioner of Bengaluru city, he deployed mannequins dressed as police at selective places to encourage people to abide laws. When the abrogation of Article 370 happened, Rao met a group of Kashmiris to assure them on safety and also appointed a nodal officer to directly address any concerns of Kashmiris living in Bengaluru. The officer Phone number was also circulated on social media to reach out if need arises. Ahead of the Ayodhya verdict and the sensitivity of the issue, Rao had taken precautionary measures to ensure peace in the city irrespective of the Judgement. He had met various majority and minority religious groups and appealed to remain calm. Additional forces were deployed in the city to avoid any untoward incident.