What can the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) do when all evidence is lost over the years,” said Home Minister Araga Jnanendra in response to a question on former Minister Kimmane Ratnakar’s demand for such a probe into the death of a minor girl reported in Tirthahalli in 2014.
In an interaction with the media in Shivamogga on Saturday, the Home Minister said the former Minister could have got the issue probed in a proper manner and identified the accused. “He did not allow the real culprits to be arrested. Then he did vote-bank politics on this issue. The CID conducted a probe and they filed a ‘B’ report in the case. Now the file is closed,” he said.
The Minister said if Mr. Ratnakar was concerned about the incident, he would have got the regular police to conduct the probe. The police could not probe the incident due to political pressure. “After destroying all evidence over the years, he is seeking CBI probe into the issue now,” he said.
Mr. Ratnakar, who was a Minister in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet in 2014, said that he would stage a hunger strike seeking a probe by the premier investigation agency into the death of the girl.
He recalled that Mr. Jnanendra, who was in the Opposition when the incident occurred, had demanded a CBI probe and also assured that the matter would be handed to the agency once he came to power.
