Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George on Tuesday rebutted the Opposition’s charges of his involvement in the alleged suicide of Deputy Superintendent of Police M.K. Ganapathy and told the Legislative Assembly that he would resign from the Ministry “if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asks me to do so”.
Reply to debate
In a reply to the debate, which witnessed protests and sloganeering for two days over the alleged suicide of the police officer, wherein the Opposition demanded resignation of Mr. George and suspension of two senior IPS officers named by the officer in a TV interview before his death, the Minister said, “I am ready to resign and face any punishment if the Opposition and the media has any documents to prove the charge.”
Mr. George challenged the Opposition, “Who are you to ask my resignation? ... I had not harassed Ganapathy or any other personnel during my entire public life spanning over four decades.” Denying his role in the suspension of the deceased police officer, Mr. George said, Ganapathy was suspended by the then Police Commissioner of Bengaluru Raghavendra Auradkar based on a complaint on March 10, 2014 when he was posted in Rajagopalanagar police station.
Countering the Opposition’s charge, he accused BJP leaders of indulging in “communal politics”. “There are ideological differences between me and BJP leaders. But I am being targeted only because he is Shettar (Jagadish Shettar) and I am George,” he said.
The Minister admitted that Ganapathy had approached him after a week with request to revoke the suspension. “But I declined to interfere in the issue when a probe was on about the case. That was the last time I met Ganapathy.”
CM’s reply today
The Opposition rejected Mr. George’s reply and demanded his resignation and a CBI probe into the case. The Opposition, particularly the BJP, has decided to step up its protests after the Chief Minister’s reply to the House on Wednesday.
Accusing the government of trying to hush up the case of alleged suicide in an “organised manner”, JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy demanded registration of an FIR against Mr. George and the two senior IPS officers who were named by the Dy.SP in his “dying declaration”. Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that the government was indulging in character assassination of Ganapathy’s wife Pavana, based on the statement of the father of the deceased, who himself admitted of signing the statement under duress.
He hit out at the government for registering case under Section 174 of the Cr.PC and not booking the three persons named by Ganapathy for abetting suicide under 306 of the IPC.
