New Delhi: Karnataka minister K J George, additional deputy general of the UIDAI project Pranov Mohanty, and State Intelligence wing chief A M Prasad were on Thursday named in an FIR by the CBI for abetment in the mysterious suicide case of Deputy SP M K Ganapathy.
The 51-year-old officer was found dead at Madikeri in Karnataka on July 7 last year. The Supreme Court had handed over the probe to the CBI in September.
George said that the CBI has filed the FIR based on the old complaint. He said he would only react after getting full details of the FIR on Friday. “Let them investigate. They’re supposed to finish it in 3 months. Let them give a report. After that, I will react.”
The BJP held a press conference as soon as the news of the FIR broke and threatened to launch a state-wide agitation if George did not resign.
“If this government has any self-respect, it should seek George’s resignation. Or BJP will launch a state-wide protest,” state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa said. He warned that if George remains in power, he could destroy all the evidence. “The CID had already given him a clean chit.”
On the demand for his resignation, George said this is not the first time that BS Yedurappa or BJP leaders have asked for his resignation. “A 100 times they have asked. Earlier, I resigned over the same case. Only after the report cleared me was I taken back into the cabinet. Let a thorough investigation happen now. We will react after that.”
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also dismissed the demands of George’s resignation and cited Yeddyurappa’s case. “An FIR was also filed against Yeddyurappa. Did he resign?” he asked.
Calling the case a political witch-hunt, senior Congress leader and state health minister KR Ramesh Kumar, said that the Congress too would face the case politically. With the FIR, “Modi has proved he is the younger brother of Hitler,” Kumar said.
According to rules, the CBI has re-registered the FIR, earlier filed by the Karnataka police. The agency alleges that prior to his death, Ganapathy had said that George, Mohanty, and Prasad are responsible for his death.
A Supreme Court bench, comprising justices A K Goel and U U Lalit, allowed the appeal of M K Kushalapp, father of the deceased police officer, filed against the order of the Karnataka High Court rejecting his plea for a CBI probe into the death case.
"There are certain startling facts in the case. Whether it is murder or suicide, it is required to be investigated in a fair manner," the bench said.
The court asked the CBI to file a status report on the probe before it within 3 months.
In an interview to a local TV channel, Ganapathy, hours before committing suicide, had said that George, Mohanty, and Prasad would be responsible if anything happened to him.
The bench considered the allegations and said under these circumstances, the probe should be carried out by an independent agency.
The Karnataka Police in its FIR registered on the complaint of Ganapathy's son had alleged that the deputy SP had said that the accused persons George, Mohanty and Prasad caused harassment to him and were responsible for his death.
It was alleged in the complaint that three accused persons are influential persons in the society and have used their powers to cause no action by the police in this regard.
In September 2016, the CID had submitted its B report to Madikeri court giving a respite to the three accused in the case. Director General of Police CID, Kishore Chandra, had told CNN-News 18 that there was no clear evidence against any of the three accused in the Ganapathy suicide case.
(With PTI inputs)
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