Two days after the death of Deputy Superintendent of Police M.K. Ganapathy, the 33-minute long interview that he gave to a private news channel in Madikeri hours before committing suicide, was finally brought on record on Saturday.
This forms the most crucial part of evidence in the case, as in the interview Ganapathy had alleged harassment by former Home Minister K.J. George and two senior officers A.M. Prasad and Pronab Mohanty.
Even as legal experts have been demanding that the interview be considered as a “dying declaration” and that the CID register a case of abetment to suicide against Mr. George and the two senior officers, CID sources said they will “take a legal opinion” on whether it can be considered as dying declaration. “As soon as the CID considers the interview as a dying declaration, booking the three persons named for abetment would be inevitable,” sources said.
Staff questioned
The CID has also got a written questionnaire answered by the staff of TV One channel, which included questions on not just the interview but also their opinion of Ganapathy’s “state of mind” that day.
Dinesh, the auto driver in Madikeri who took Ganapathy to the TV channel office and back to the lodge, recalled with mediapersons how the officer took his auto from the lodge on Thursday morning.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Dinesh said the officer had sought to be taken to the TV One office. “He asked me to wait and later around 1.30 p.m., he asked for a drop to Vinayaka Lodge,” said Mr. Dinesh. It also transpired that Ganapathy had told the journalists that he was returning to Mangaluru, but instead went to the lodge again.
Meanwhile, Hemanth Nimbalkar, IGP, CID, who is leading the team in Kodagu, visited the ancestral home of Ganapathy in Rangasamudra village on Saturday morning. The team was there for about 45 minutes. It is learnt that the family members sought additional time to record their statements as they were still in mourning.
As soon as the CID considers the interview as a dying declaration, booking the three persons named for abetment will be inevitable
Sources
As soon as the CID considers the interview as a dying declaration, booking the three persons named for abetment will be inevitable, say sources
