Karnataka: Former DySP Anupama Shenoy Demands NIA Probe into the Murder of Retired DG-IGP Om Prakash

 Mangaluru: Former DySP Anupama Shenoy has demanded that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) take over the investigation into the murder of retired DG-IGP Om Prakash, suspecting possible involvement of banned outfit PFI (Popular Front of India) members.

Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru Press Club on Saturday Shenoy expressed concern over the handling of the case, claiming that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara were attempting to frame the deceased officer’s wife Pallavi to protect minority interests.

Citing Pallavi’s mention in a WhatsApp group about Om Prakash’s alleged links with PFI members, Shenoy said, "It is not unusual for senior police officers to be acquainted with criminal elements during service. But it is crucial to investigate whether such associations continued post-retirement."

Shenoy also questioned if PFI members were recruited into the police department during Siddaramaiah’s previous tenure and called for an inquiry into whether Om Prakash was pressured to induct them when he served as DG-IGP.

Referring to the investigation, Shenoy noted, "Despite Pallavi stating that her daughter Krithi was not involved in the murder, police continue to implicate her. No eyewitness accounts or CCTV footage have been produced; only Pallavi’s statements are being relied upon."

She raised the possibility that Pallavi, under duress, might have made statements after being threatened by those who actually committed the crime. "It is plausible that PFI-linked individuals murdered Om Prakash and coerced Pallavi into making misleading phone calls," she said.

Expressing sympathy towards Om Prakash's son, Karthikesh, Shenoy urged him to stand by his mother and sister and resist political pressure. "He must not abandon his family in the face of threats or inducements," she added.

Highlighting a climate of fear within the police force after the murder, Shenoy said several constables and PSIs had contacted her, expressing that they now feared for their safety even at home.

She accused the state government of destabilizing the police department by circulating false narratives that the DGP’s wife and daughter were involved in the murder, alleging it was an attempt to shield PFI elements.

Drawing a parallel, Shenoy recalled the death of DySP M.K. Ganapathi, claiming that his case was similarly mishandled to protect a minority community minister during the previous Congress government.

Shenoy appealed to the Leader of Opposition to press for an NIA probe into Om Prakash’s murder and said she had already written to DG-IGP Alok Mohan, urging a thorough investigation into PFI’s possible infiltration of the police force.

Shenoy, who was serving as the DySP in Kudligi of Ballari district had stepped down from service in 2016 after a fallout with the then Ballari District In-charge Minister P.T. Parameshwar Naik.