Former HC judge suggests public inquiry into suicide case

Former judge of the High Court of Karnataka, M F Saldanha has sought a public inquiry into the suicide of DySP, M K Ganapathi.

Saldanha said that the government can initiate public inquiry into the suicide by roping in experts from different fields including journalists. He felt that the probe by the Criminal Investigation Department and any other investigation agency would serve no purpose.

Saying that a person cannot think of ending his or her life overnight, Saldanha said that it takes a minimum of six months for a person to take such a drastic step.

Referring to the recent incidents involving police officers, Saldanha said that there could be a serious problem in the system that can be summed up as a constitutional crisis.

He recollected that he had conducted a thorough inquiry and submitted a report to the government then, following the attack on churches in Mangaluru in 2008.

Referring to a recent incident in Chennai where a medical student threw a dog from a terrace, Saldanha demanded the dismissal of the student from the college.

The members of Udupi district BJP unit staged a protest in front of the Clock Tower here on Saturday demanding a CBI probe into the suicide of Ganapathi.

BJP district president Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde said that the statements made by Ganapathi during an interview to a television channel before committing suicide had not been considered while filing an FIR in the case.

“The FIR says it is an unnatural death. The officer took the extreme step due to pressure,” he said.

Hegde said that around 450 farmers had committed suicide in the state in the last three years and the government had failed to provide any succour to the agrarian community. The farmers had not been paid compensation, despite the Union government releasing adequate funds.