Bengaluru, Sep 11 (PTI): BJP in Karnataka today demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah drop Minister K J George in view of the Supreme Court ordering a CBI probe into alleged suicide of a police official who had claimed he was harassed by him and some senior IPS officers.

"Siddaramaiah should ask George to resign from the cabinet...The Supreme Court has fixed a three-month deadline for the probe. We have no objection if he rejoins the Cabinet when he is given a clean chit by CBI," BJP state President B S Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

He also announced a state-wide stir demanding resignation of George on September 16.

DySP Ganapathy (51) was found hanging at a lodge in Madikeri on July 7 last year, with the mystery surrounding it raising a controversy.

Prior to the alleged suicide, Ganapathy had told a local TV channel that the then Home Minister George and two senior police officers would be responsible "if anything happens to me".

Ordering a CBI investigation, the Supreme Court had recently said there were "startling facts" in the case which needed to be probed in a fair manner.

The state CID police, which investigated the case, had given a clean chit to George and the two officers in a closure report filed before a court in Madikeri.

George had resigned soon after a court directed police to register an FIR against him and the two police officers.
After his name was cleared by CID, George was re-inducted into the Cabinet.

Yeddyurappa alleged George also had been "a big failure" as Bengaluru Development Minister. This was reflected in the "lack" of preparations to tackle rain-related problems and inundation of residential localities, he said.

"Rains and inundation had affected a large sections of people," he said.

Yeddyurappa also questioned government claims of spending over Rs 4,000 crore for the city. "If the government has spent on quality work, why there was flooding?" he asked.