Minister for Bengaluru development in the Congress government in Karnataka K J George resigned Monday after a magistrate’s court ordered the filing of an FIR against him and two senior police officers for their alleged role in the suicide of DSP M K Ganapathi. “I have voluntarily tendered my resignation to enable an impartial probe into the death of the DSP,’’ George said shortly after a court in Karnataka’s Madikeri region ordered the filing of an abetment of suicide case against him and the two police officers. The judicial magistrate first class court ordered the filing of FIR under IPC Section 306 on basis of a complaint by Ganapathi’s son and wife. A police station in Madikeri had earlier refused to lodge the FIR and had forwarded the complaint to state CID, which is probing the case. The DSP’s wife Paavana and son Nehal had sought an FIR against George, A M Prasad (ADGP-Intelligence) and Pranab Mohanty (IGP-Lokayukta police), who the DSP had accused of harassing him. Prior to committing suicide at a private lodge on July 7, Ganapathi had told a local TV channel that George and the two senior officers would be responsible if anything happened to him. [related-post] Watch Video: What's making news Following the order of the JMFC court, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah met George, home minister G Parameshwara and other senior leaders. Several senior leaders reportedly recommended that it would be best for the government if George resigned and faced the probe. The state government has also asked the two senior officers to go on leave pending the investigation. Earlier, George and the officers had said they had no recent interaction with Ganapathi and that he had randomly named them. George had maintained that he played no role in Ganapathi’s career except on one occasion in 2014, when as home minister, he turned down the officer’s request for revoking a suspension order against him. The order was issued after Ganapathi, then a police inspector, was accused in a corruption case. George claimed that Ganapathi nursed “misconceptions” about his role as home minister in his career. After Ganapathi’s death, his brother M K Thammaiah, also a DSP-rank officer, and his father M K Kushalappa had said the officer was depressed and was undergoing treatment.
