Madikeri: The pressure on the government to hand over M K Ganapathi suicide case to the CBI is only intensifying and to add to the same, various Kodava organisations, led by Ponnampet Kodava Samaja took out a massive vehicle rally on Friday.
Hundreds of members of various Kodava Samaj from Ponnampet, Virajpet, Murnadu, Napoklu, Talacauvery, Mundnad, Somwarpet, Madapura, Garvale and many other pockets took part in the protest and waved black flags.

The rally culminated in Madikeri where members of Kodava Samaja Madikeri welcomed them at General Thimmaiah Circle. Ponnampet Kodava Samaj President Sullimada Gopal Thimmaiah said that the state government was not giving the kind of attention that Ganapathi’s case deserves.

“Do not provocate peace-loving Kodavas,” he warned the government demanding CBI probe into the case. Condemning Minister  K J George, who is also from Kodagu, Gopal Thimmaiah said that the man who too lived on water of Cauvery is responsible for death of one of the ‘Sons of Kodagu’.

The protesters also maintained a minute of silence as a prayer for Ganapathy’s departed soul. Later a memorandum was handed over to DC Dr Richard Vincent D’Souza where the protesters put down their demands.

Rs 5 cr compensation demanded

Meanwhile, in the memorandum the Kodava Samaja said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah must accept his failure in handing the Ganapathy case efficiently and must hence step down from the post. The memorandum further said that the government, taking responsibility of Ganapathy’s death must release a compensation of Rs 5 cr to Ganapathy’s grieving family.

Accepting the television interview as dying declaration of Ganapathy, ousting K J George and registering cases against him and two other police officers mentioned by Ganapathy (Pronob Mohanthy and A M Prasad) were some of the other demands.