Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday, ordered a judicial probe into the episode of alleged suicide of Deputy Superintendent of Police M.K. Ganapathy.
Announcing this in the Legislative Assembly while replying to the debate on Dy.SP Ganapathy’s death, the Chief Minister said the proposed judicial inquiry commission would be headed by a retired judge of the Karnataka High Court. He rejected the demand by the Opposition parties of handing over the inquiry to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
However, taking serious exception to this, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (S) have decided to commence a day-and-night dharna in both the Houses of the State Legislature. The leaders of the both the parties announced that they would not withdraw their protest till their demands were met.
Mr. Siddaramaiah also stood firmly behind his Cabinet colleague K.J. George and two senior IPS officers - A.M. Prasad and Pronab Mohanty - who are now being targeted by the Opposition in the wake of the deceased officer accusing them of harassment hours before his death.
“There is not even an iota of evidence to prove that Mr. George or the two IPS officers harassed Dy.SP Ganapathy,” Mr. Siddaramaiah maintained while replying to the two-day debate in the Legislative Assembly over the episode of Ganapathy’s death.
He also said that he has complete faith in the State’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) which is probing Ganapathy’s death. “Let the CID complete its probe and submit its report. Based on its findings, we will act sternly against those involved in the episode,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
Turning down the demand by the Opposition for Mr. George’s resignation, the Chief Minister maintained that Ganapathy would not have been promoted as Dy.SP if he (Mr. George) was vindictive.
He also refused to consider Ganapathy’s interview to a private TV channel hours before his alleged suicide in which he had accused Mr. George and two IPS officers of harassing him as a "dying declaration" as there was no indication of suicide then.
