BackSupreme Court orders CBI probe into Karnataka DySP Ganapathy’s suicide
Supreme Court said the probe by CBI into Karnataka DySP Ganapathy's suicide be completed in three months
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Bengaluru: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a probe by CBI into Karnataka deputy superintendent of police M.K.Ganapathy’s July 2016 suicide. The order came following a plea by Ganapathy’s father, returning to spotlight an incident that rocked the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government last year.
The SC directed that the probe be completed in three months.
In a television interview on 7 July last year, Ganapathy named then home minister and senior Karnataka Congress leader K.J. George and two senior police officials—IGP Pronab Mohanty and ADGP A.M. Prasad—of harassing him over the years. A few hours later, Ganapathy was found hanging from a ceiling fan at a lodge in Kodagu district, about 250 km from Bengaluru.
“Have to see what the court has said about the B report (submitted by the CID) and will then comment," Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday.
George could not be reached for comment.
His suicide had led to protests, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had claimed the government had made life tough for honest officials.
Siddaramaiah initially defended his cabinet colleague but the latter was forced to resign after an FIR was filed by the deceased’s family..
The case was later handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a state government agency. Three months later, George was re-inducted into the cabinet after the CID gave him and the two senior police officials a clean chit in its report, drawing sharp criticism from citizen groups and political parties.
“To ensure impartial inquiry, I demand the immediate resignation of Bengaluru minister K.J.George. If George does not resign, chief minister Siddaramaiah must dismiss him immediately," BJP state president and former Karnataka chief minister B.S.Yeddyurappa said in a statement on Tuesday. The Janata Dal (Secular) also welcomed the SC order for a CBI probe.
George, who currently serves as Bengaluru in-charge minister, had become one of the main target for protests in September last year against a proposal for constructing a Rs1,791 crore steel flyover in Bengaluru.
The project was scrapped earlier this year after citizen groups and political parties put pressure on the government on concerns of corruption.
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