Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah turned the heat on about a dozen Union ministers and other BJP leaders facing criminal charges by demanding their resignation while rising to defend his cabinet colleague K J George a day after the minister was named the prime accused in the FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case of mysterious death of deputy superintendent of police M K Ganapathi on Friday.

“Let them also resign. Why should they continue?" asked a combative Mr Siddaramaiah while making known that the ruling Congress would contest the case of FIR on political lines with the BJP as he charged leaders of the party with using the premier investigating agency as a political tool. He named his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath and other BJP leaders facing criminal charges during an elaborate defence of Mr George during his interaction with media persons. "Politically, the Congress is very confident of facing the BJP. They have no moral right (to ask for Mr George's resignation)" he said after a closed-door meeting with senior ministers and party leaders on the impact of the FIR registered against Mr George and two senior police officers-DGP (Intelligence) A.M. Prasad and IGP Pranov Mohanty-on the image of the government ahead of next year's elections to the Legislative Assembly, he told media persons in Bengaluru.

Describing the demand of BJP leaders for Mr George's resignation as politically motivated, Mr Siddaramaiah said the FIR did not warrant Mr George's exit from the cabinet as the minister had resigned as soon as a FIR was registered by the CID. The minister has agreed to cooperate with officers of CBI investigating the death of Mr Ganapathi. Besides, there was no question of the minister influencing officers of CBI as it was a Central investigating authority. Mr George had resigned on moral grounds earlier and returned to the cabinet after officers of CBI issued a green chit and filed a B report in the case. The latest FIR was a continuation of one filed in the local police station by officers of CID and therefore did not merit the exit of Mr George, he added.

With the CBI registering a FIR, leaders of BJP upped the ante against Mr George and the state government with state unit leader B.S. Yeddyurappa threatening state-wide protests in case the minister does not quit immediately. The FIR was registered soon after files related to the case were handed over to the CBI by officers of CID on Thursday. The CBI has launched a probe following a directive from the Supreme Court on an appeal filed by Mr Ganapathi's father, Mr M.K. Kushalappa, with a plea for investigation by the investigating agency.

A year later...

The body of DySP M K Ganapathi was found hanging at Vinayaka lodge in room number 315, on 7th July 2016, in Madikeri.

Prior to his death, he had given an interview to a local TV channel in Madikeri, in which he had accused Minister Mr K.J. George and two senior Police officers Mr Pranab Mohanthy and Mr A.M. Prasad.

Mr Ganapathi’s son Nehal Ganapathi who had filed a private complaint with Principal Judge of JMFC Court in Madikeri, stepped back and didn't file any objection to the B report filed by CID. But Ganapathi's brother Maachaiah appealed to the court to include the names of his father, mother, sister and himself in the case and permit them to continue the case.

The family members approached the Supreme Court after High Court had dismissed the petition to hand over the case to CBI.

A judicial probe is still on.

M K Ganapathi

We’re not misusing the CBI to file FIR and harass George, asserts Javadekar

Union minister for human resource development Prakash javadekar denied on Friday that the Centre had misused the CBI to file a FIR against Bengaluru Development Minister, K.J. George in the M.K. Ganapathi suicide case as alleged by the state government.

Speaking to reporters at the BJP office here, Mr. Javdekar said the CBI had registered an FIR against Mr. George in the case not on the Union government's, but the Supreme Court's orders.

"Chief Minister Siddaramaiah cannot protect his trusted minister this time. All these days he has protected corrupt ministers in his Cabinet, but he cannot do the same with Mr. George in Dy.SP Ganapathy's suicide," he warned.

Senior BJP leader in charge of the party's affairs in Karnataka, Muralidhar Rao, too contended that the state government was making baseless allegations against the BJP government at the Centre when the CBI had registered the case against the minister on the Supreme Court's directions. "The Centre has no role to play," he asserted.

Also alleging that the CM was making a desperate attempt to protect his minister, he said he had to respect the judiciary and drop Mr. George from the Cabinet as he had been named the first accused in the Dy.SP's suicide.

Demanding Mr George's resignation as well, BJP general secretary, Shobha Karandlaje wondered why he had not quit already when the CBI had filed an FIR against him. "Mr George had resigned when the CID registered a case, which means he knew it would give him a clean chit," she charged.

Contending there was a possibility of evidence being destroyed in the case, she said it was only appropriate for the Minister to step down immediately. " If he doesn't, the BJP will launch a statewide protest against him and the Chief Minister," she warned.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao alleged in Delhi that George, is Siddaramaiah's conduit to the top Congress brass. "So he is helpless in acting against him. Mr Siddaramaiah should tell people what is his compulsion in continuing with a tainted minister facing grave charges and if his hands have been forced by the Congress leadership as George is a major fund-raiser,"Mr Rao said. Mr Siddaramaiah's defence of his minister is a sign of utter shamelessness, and his claim of political vendetta exhibits a lack of sensitivity for the family of Ganapathy,, he added.