Bengaluru: City Police Commissioner M N Reddi came under attack in the legislature from the Opposition for repeatedly stating before reporters on Monday that Ravi committed suicide.

Leader of Opposition in the Council K S Eshwarappa demanded that either Reddi resign or the government suspend him as he had made that statement even before post-mortem or forensic examination reports were out.

“How did Reddi come to the conclusion that Ravi had committed suicide even before a preliminary investigation was completed? Was he making the statement at the government’s behest? Is a murder being covered up?” Eshwarappa said. BJP members Ganesh Karnik, Y A Narayanaswamy and JD(S) member Basavaraj Horatti endorsed his views.

In the Assembly, Leader of Opposition Jagadish Shettar accused Reddi of behaving “irresponsibly” by making the statement. “How can he announce the cause of death even before evidence is processed and submitted? Were the reports prepared overnight,” he asked. BJP member R Ashoka, too, attacked Reddi.

In the Council, Leader of the House S R Patil came to the police commissioner’s rescue, saying Reddi had only said, ‘Prima facie it looked like a case of suicide’. In the Assembly, Home Minister K J George said the commissioner hadn’t spoken without evidence.

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