CID to probe DySP’s suicide
Bengaluru/ Madikeri/ New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday ordered a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) into DySP M K Ganapathi’s suicide.
Siddaramaiah also ruled out dropping former home minister and now Bengaluru Development Minister K J George from the Cabinet, and asked his ministerial colleagues to stand by George in the case of an Opposition onslaught.
The Opposition led by the BJP has demanded George’s removal as Ganapathi had accused him of harassment. The Opposition has also demanded action against two senior IPS officers–ADGP (Intelligence) A M Prasad and IGP (Lokayukta) Pronab Mohanty–who were also named by Ganapathi in an interview to a local news channel in Madikeri on Thursday, hours before he committed suicide.
A CID team led by DIG Hemanth Nimbalkar took over the probe on Friday. The team visited Madikeri and collected related documents.
A case of unnatural death under Section 174 of the CrPC has been registered, and not under IPC Section 306 (abetment to suicide). Also, so far, no one has been named as accused in the case.
“In an interview to a news channel, he (Ganapathi) has mentioned names of certain people as responsible for his death. The investigation will look into these aspects. Reasons for the death will be known after the probe (sic),” Siddaramaiah told reporters after a meeting with Home Minister G Parameshwara and DG & IGP Om Prakash.
Ganapathi, who was attached to IGP (Western Range) office in Mangaluru, was transferred 16 times in his 22-year career. This has given rise to speculations that he could not serve for a long period in any station due to his honesty.
Meanwhile, Ganapathi’s last rites were performed at his native Rangasamudra in Kodagu district on Friday in the presence of his family.
Mysore MP Pratap Simha, MLAs Appacchhu Ranjan, K G Bopaiah, MLC Madhusudan, Sunil Subramani and Veena Acchhaiah were present. Ganapathi’s death has come close on the heels of Chikkamagaluru DySP Kallappa Handibag’s suicide in Belagavi. Besides, the government had a tough time handling the recent controversy surrounding the resignation of another DySP, Anupama Shenoy.
Brother contradicts
While speaking to the media, Ramanagara DySP M K Thammaiah said his brother, Ganapathi, was depressed and he was undergoing treatment in M S Ramaiah hospital in Bengaluru.
Stating that there was no pressure from the police department, Thammaiah said that the interview given to the media is imaginary.
“I am not saying this because I am in the police department, nor am I under any pressure to issue such a statement,” he clarified.
Leaders of various associations said Thammaiah was issuing such statements under pressure from the government.
But Ganapathi’s wife Pavana told the media that allegations made by her husband are true. She said Ganapathi kept referring to harassment from higher officials.