The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday demanded removal of K.J. George from Karnataka Cabinet after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against him in connection with suicide of a police officer.
Karnataka BJP President B.S. Yeddyurappa said George should be removed from government immediately.
He also said that the BJP will launch a statewide protest if George isn't removed from the Congress-led Karnataka government.
"We will launch statewide agitation if George is not removed immediately from the Cabinet," Yeddyurappa said.
He also added that "with George continuing in the government will make a fair probe difficult".
Earlier, the CBI registered a case against George, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Lokayukta, Bengaluru, Pranab Mohanty and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) State Intelligence, AM Prasad in the M.K. Ganapathi's suicide case.
All three have been named as accused in the case.
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Ganapathi allegedly killed himself in a lodge in Kodagu on July 7, 2016 when he was Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mangaluru. In a video message, he named KJ George, AM Prasad and Pranab Mohanty responsible for his extreme step.
On September 5, the apex court ordered a CBI investigation in the former cop's suicide.
While hearing the plea of Ganapathi's father, M K Kushalapp; the Supreme Court said that "there are certain startling facts in the case. Whether it is murder or suicide, it is required to be investigated in a fair manner".
Kushalapp had moved the apex court challenging the order of the Karnataka High Court, which rejected his plea for CBI probe into the death case.
The Karnataka government opposed the plea in the Supreme Court and submitted that a thorough and in-depth probe had been conducted in the case.
K.J. George is Minister for Bengaluru Development and Town Planning. He was previously the Home Minister of Karnataka. He was also the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Transport, Food and Civil Supplies in the Veerendra Patil government and Cabinet Minister for Housing & Urban Development in the S. Bangarappa government.