BENGALURU: The CBI has re-registered a case of abetment of suicide against state minister KJ George in connection with the death of Deputy Superintendent of Police MK Ganapathy in Kodagu district, Karnataka. The case has also been registered against senior police officers AM Prasad, state intelligence chief and Pranav Mohanty, who is on central deputation. The move came after the Supreme Court issued an order on September 5, directing an agency probe into the death.
Ganapathy's father and brother had plead for reopening of investigations after the case was closed by the Criminal Investigation Department of the state police. A closure report was filed in the case on September 17, 2016, however, it was not accepted by a magistrate’s court after the deceased's family informed the court about a case being filed for a CBI probe in the Supreme Court. The CID probe had found that the DSP committed suicide by hanging himself in a lodge in Madikeri after the television interview. Factors like distress in his professional and personal life, suicide of a colleague and mental health problems that the officer were being treated for were cited for his suicide.
Ganapathy, 51, who faced investigation over an encounter death and for corruption in the course of his career, committed suicide at a lodge in Kodagu. Shortly before his death, he had told a local television channel that former home minister and then Bengaluru development minister KJ George and two senior police officers – Prasad and Mohanty, would be to blame if anything untoward were to happen to him. While the CID had questioned the suspects, it stated in its report that they never had any direct interaction with Ganapathy in the period leading to his death.
