DySP suicide: Court directs registration of FIR against minister, two others
Madikeri: A court here today directed police to register an FIR against Karnataka minister K J George and two top police officials in connection with the alleged suicide of Deputy Superintendent of Police M K Ganapathy, which has raised a huge storm in the state.
The order by Additional Judicial Magistrate First Class Annapurneshwari came on a private criminal complaint filed by the deceased police official’s son Nehal Ganapathy requesting the court to direct the Kodagu police to take up investigation against the minister and two officers for allegedly abetting his father’s suicide.
Ganapathy’s wife Pavana and Nehal had approached the court, stating that the police had rejected the complaint lodged by them with the Kushalanagar police on July 10 against George and IPS officials A M Prasad and Pranab Mohanty.
In his complaint, Nehal had said his father had made a “dying declaration” naming George and the two officers and their acts amounted to “abetting the commission of suicide.”
Appealing to the court to take cognisance of the offence punishable under IPC section 306 read with Section 34, the complaint had also claimed that the accused were highly placed and influential persons who had prevailed upon police from taking action against them.
Nehal’s counsel M T Nanaiah said that the Investigating Officers would have to question George and the two police officers and take a call on whether to arrest them or not depending on their probe.
Reacting to the court’s directive in Bengaluru, Opposition BJP leader Jagadish Shettar said the minister should resign immediately and the two IPS officers suspended to pave the way for an impartial probe.
Ganapathy (51) was found hanging from the ceiling fan in a room at a lodge in Madikeri on July 7, prior to which he gave an interview to a local TV channel, saying the minister and A M Prasad (IG-Intelligence) and Pranab Mohanty (IGP- Lokayukta) would be responsible “if anything happens to me.” The case is currently being investigated by CID.
Coming under attack from the Opposition, which has been stalling Assembly proceedings since Monday last, the Karnataka government has constituted a judicial commission headed by K N Keshavanarayana to inquire into the alleged suicide.
The commission would inquire into the “circumstances and events” leading to the “unnatural death” of Ganapathy. The Opposition BJP and JDS have rejected the judicial probe and been insisting on a CBI inquiry and resignation of George.
Cop’s suicide: Karnataka legislature adjourned over ruckus
Bengaluru, July 18 (IANS) The Karnataka legislature comprising the assembly and council was adjourned on Monday till 4 p.m. amid a ruckus as opposition lawmakers insisted on the resignation of a minister and a CBI probe into the suicide by a police officer recently.
As soon as the 25-day monsoon session resumed at Vidhana Soudha, the opposition BJP and Janata-Dal-Secular (JD-S) members raised slogans in the assembly against the state government, demanding the ouster of former home minister K.J. George and a CBI probe into the death of DSP M.K. Ganapathi, who allegedly committed suicide on July 7 at Madikeri in Kodagu district, about 260 km from Bengaluru.
Before speaker K.B. Koliwad adjourned the lower house, the ruling Congress party pushed through five key amendment bills by voice vote amid the din even as the opposition members resumed protests over the government’s refusal to hand over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and not asking George to resign.
“We will not allow the house to conduct business until George resigns and a CBI probe is ordered into Ganapathi’s suicide, as the judicial inquiry will not be able to complete it within six months,” BJP leader and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar told the speaker.
Rejecting the demand, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered a judicial inquiry on July 13 after the BJP and JD-S expressed reservations over the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) probe, as it functioned under the state government.
The state government on July 16 appointed Justice K.N. Keshavanarayana, retired judge of the Karnataka High Court, as the one-man commission to probe Ganapathi’s death and directed him to submit his report in six months.
The reports of five house committees were also tabled despite the pandemonium and uproarious scenes in the well of the house.
In the legislative council, opposition BJP and JD-S members staged demonstrations and raised slogans against George and Siddaramaiah for not acceding to their demand.
“The state government is protecting ‘murderers’ of a police officer, who blamed George and two IPS officers for harassing him and held them responsible should anything happen to him, in an interview to a local news channel hours before he hanged himself”.
Ganapathi, 51, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in a lodge room on July 7 hours after he accused George and two IPS officers of harassing him and holding them responsible should anything happen to him.
George was the home minister till October 31, 2015 before he was made Bengaluru Development Minister and the ruling party’s state unit president G. Parameshwara replaced him.
The two IPS officers are Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) A.M. Prasad and Lokayukta (Ombudsman) Inspector General of Police Pronab Mohanty.