KJ George, Forced To Quit As Karnataka Minister Over Cop's Suicide, Is Back

Bengaluru: Weeks after he was forced to resign as minister over the alleged suicide of a police officer, KJ George has returned to the Karnataka government.

Mr George, who is said to be close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, was accused of a role in the alleged suicide of police officer MK Ganapathy and also named in a police complaint. On September 17, the state Criminal Investigation Department or CID told the court it had found no evidence linking Mr George with the death.

"I thank the people for their support. Though I have already been cleared by the police, I am ready to cooperate with any further inquiries," Mr George, 66, said after taking oath today.

Mr Ganapathy, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, was found hanging in a room inside a lodge in Madikeri, around 280 km from Bengaluru, on July 7, In an interview before his death, the 51-year-old officer had accused Mr George and two police officers of harassing him and said they should be held responsible "if anything happens to me".

Mr George resigned on July 18 after a court, responding to a request from the police officer's son, asked for an FIR or formal complaint. He was in charge of Bengaluru and the home ministry when he was forced to quit amid opposition protests.

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With Mr George's return - strongly opposed by the opposition BJP and Janata Dal Secular - the strength of the Siddaramaiah ministry now stands at 34, which is the constitutional limit for the state. A new minister M Krishnappa joined the government earlier this month.

Mr Ganapathy's family had asked for a CBI investigation into his death, alleging that an impartial inquiry could not be expected from the CID.

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