Govt playing minority card to protect George, says BJP

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar on Wednesday accused the government of trying to shut the DySP M K Ganapathi suicide case by playing the minority card.

Fiercely opposing the judicial probe ordered into the case, Shettar said, “Alpa sankhyatara hesaru heli, bara khoon maaf!.” The government is trying to absolve itself of the “murder” by playing the minority card, he said. Stating that the government is adopting double standards, the BJP leader Shettar said that his party is not targeting Bengaluru Development Minister K J George because he belonged to a minority community but because Ganapathi had named him. “Did you (Chief Minister Siddaramaiah) drop dalit leader Srinivas Prasad and minority leader Qamar-ul-Islam, because of the BJP’s politics?” he asked.

When Siddaramaiah took objection to this statement, Shettar continued by saying that concerted efforts were being made to “protect” George. “He (George) is in the kitchen cabinet. The Congress will drop anybody, but not George. All kinds of efforts are being made to protect him,” he said.

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said that the case would not gain any merit till an FIR is registered based on Ganapathi’s son Nehal’s complaint. The BJP MLA from Madikeri and former Speaker K G Bopaiah said that if the government remained obstinate, then Ganapathi’s wife Pavana too would be forced to take an extreme step. But the Congress took objection to his comment stating that it would amount to instigation. 

Shettar and Kumaraswamy later told the media that they would stage a dharna inside the legislature, as long as the session begins.

What CM said on the case
*It is impossible to believe that Ganapathi was harassed by his senior officers
*Ganapathi’s father Kushalappa’s statement has been videographed
*Ganapathi never worked under IPS officers Pronab Mohanty and A M Prasad
*When Ganapathi was Inspector at Madiwala station (East), Mohanty was Joint Commissioner, West division (Crime)
*There is no truth in the complaint that Mohanty demanded money from Ganapathi
*George and two police officers had never troubled Ganapathi
*George in his career has not troubled any officer
*There is no procedural delay or mistake in handling the suicide case