By P.T. Bopanna
Is there a hidden hand working behind-the-scenes to dilute the case involving the alleged suicide by Dy SP M.K. Ganapathi?
The people of Coorg who came on to the streets to demand justice for Ganpathi, now feel betrayed by the decision of the deceased officer’s son Nehal against filing his objections to the ‘B’ report (clean chit) submitted by the Karnataka CID police, and his decision to withdraw the private complaint filed before the JMFC court at Madikeri against minister K.J. George and two IPS officers Pronab Mohanty and A.M. Prasad.
It is a fact that Ganapathi’s family is a divided house. So much so that Ganapathi’s younger brother M K Thammaiah, also a DYSP in Karnataka police, claimed soon after the suicide in early July that his brother was undergoing treatment for “severe depression” for more than a year, and was prone to delusionary thinking.
The division within the family came to the fore on September 30 when the matter came up before the JMFC court at Madikeri.
Ganapathi’s parents M.K. Kushalappa and Jaaji Poovamma, brother M.K. Machaiah and sister Sabitha, filed application before judge Annapoorneshwari, to consider them as complainants as they were not satisfied with the B report. The judge posted the case for hearing on October 24. Interestingly, Ganapathi’s son Nehal did not interact with his grandparents, aunt and uncle in the court premises.
Kushalappa who spoke to the media, contended that the CID which gave the B report, had ignored vital evidence in his son’s laptop and cellphone.
When this reporter sought the reaction of the former Indian hockey team captain M.P. Ganesh, material uncle of Ganapathi, who is reported to have been a witness to an argument between the deceased officer and ADGP Prasad, Ganesh replied that the matter was sensitive and he did not want to respond to the query.
Meanwhile, chief minister Siddaramaiah has re-inducted George into the ministry merely on the basis of the B report, without waiting for the final order of the JMFC court.