Three police officers in Karnataka were suspended on Sunday, June 29, for their role in falsely implicating a tribal man in the alleged murder of his wife, who was later found alive. Those suspended are Circle Police Inspector (CPI) of Kushalnagar BG Prakash, Yelawala Inspector Mahesh Kumar, and Jayapura Inspector Prakash Yathinamani.
The action was taken following directions from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during the annual IPS officers’ meeting held in Bengaluru on June 27. The Chief Minister ordered the suspension of BG Prakash, who was the investigating officer at Bettadapura Police Station at the time, for filing a fabricated murder case against Kurubara Suresh, a daily-wage worker from the Jenu Kuruba community, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
Suresh was arrested in 2020 after his wife, Mallige, went missing. Although he had filed a missing person complaint at the Kushalnagar Rural Police Station, the Bettadapura Police later registered a murder case against him when skeletal remains of a woman were found in their jurisdiction.
This was despite Suresh repeatedly telling the police that Mallige may have eloped with another man. Instead of thoroughly investigating her disappearance, officers falsely identified the unidentified remains as Mallige’s without DNA confirmation, and pinned the murder on him. Over a year later, DNA tests confirmed the remains did not belong to Mallige. She was eventually found alive, living with another man in Shettihalli village, about 30 km from Madikeri.
TNM had reported on Suresh’s story as part of our ongoing series on police impunity, which investigates custodial violence and systemic overreach in states with high instances of police brutality.
Despite clear evidence of Suresh’s innocence, police pressed ahead with the case. TNM had earlier revealed how officers ignored the DNA results, manipulated documents, and kept Suresh in jail for 18 months. He has since filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking Rs 5 crore in compensation for wrongful arrest, custodial torture, and the trauma of being falsely branded a murderer.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also directed DGP MA Saleem to collect a detailed report from the Mysuru Police Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), and submit it in the coming days.
