Ganapathi's family members have become pawns in politics, says Subbaiah

Former MLC A K Subbaiah on Friday lamented DySP M K Ganapathi’s family members have become pawns in politics.

Subbaiah, also an advocate, told newsmen here, “There has been a change in mindset of Ganapathi’s family members, especially after Janata Dal (Secular) state president H D Kumaraswamy visited them. They have joined hands with vested interets and have also become a puppet in the hands of Opposition parties.”

He also regretted that honour of Kodavas is also being belittled, especially aftermath of this suicide incident.

“It is evident that Ganapathi committed suicide due to depression as all the incidents narrated by the (police) officer himself before ending his life, occurred during in 2014. K J George was the home minister then. But he committed suicide now.”

Subbaiah said Ganapathi took the step after he was promoted and was posted in his place of interest, sufice to say again that depression was the cause.

Subbaiah claimed: “Ganapathi was in constant touch with Sangh Parivar. When the BJP was in power, he was in contact with Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagaran Vedike. Not just him, even DySP of Chikkamagaluru sub-division Kallappa Handibag was closely associated with Bajrang Dal. So also Anupama Shenoy (who resigned as DySP of Kudligi sub-division, Ballari district) who belongs to Sangh Parivar.”

‘Harassement case’

He said vested interests are trying to put the government in a bind, portraying it as a case of harassment. A question looms over the din being created by the Opposition party members who staged protest overnight at Vidhana Soudha, he observed.

“The ruling Congress party also has failed to expose the double standards of its rivals, who have been cooking up stories covering the actual cause of suicide and also aso the Opposition parties that have been misleading innocent people,” he claimed.

Subbaiah observed: “Generally, no one behaves like the family members of Ganapathi in such circumstances. They lodge a complaint at Kushalnagar police station and also level baseless charges, even as the CID probe is on. All these cast aspersion that they are dancing to the tunes of Opposition parties in the state.”

“Moreover, the reason given by Ganapathi, who was none other than a DySP, is harassment by his senior officers. If anybody in the cadre of DySP takes such a step citing similar reasons, it seems they are not worthy of the job,” he quipped.