Karnataka minister Eshwarappa booked in suicide case, clamour grows for ouster

A contractor and BJP worker, Patil blamed Eshwarappa and his aides for forcing him to take the extreme step in his purported suicide note, said an official privy to the development

Police charged Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa on Wednesday with abetment to suicide in connection with the death of a contractor in Udupi but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader remained defiant in the face of increasing political pressure to quit over allegations that he demanded bribes from the deceased.

Police charged Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa on Wednesday with abetment to suicide in connection with the death of a contractor Patil in Udupi. (ANI)

Santosh Patil, 37, was found dead in a lodge in Udupi on Tuesday. A contractor and BJP worker, Patil blamed Eshwarappa and his aides for forcing him to take the extreme step in his purported suicide note, said an official privy to the development. The minister’s aides repeatedly demanded 40% commission to clear bills for a pending project, the note alleged.

The First Information Report (FIR), a copy of which is with HT, listed Eshwarappa, the minister of urban development and Panchayati Raj, as accused number 1 (A1) in the case, while his aides Basavaraj and Ramesh as A2 and A3 respectively. Opposition leaders have demanded the influential minister’s resignation.

But Eshwarappa, 73, rejected the charges. “It is the Congress which has been saying Eshwarappa should resign. There is no (death) note but they are spreading lies that there’s a death note and then asking for resignation,” he said.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the investigation will be conducted in accordance with the law and without interference. “The opposition leaders are trying to find faults in the case. The investigation will bring out the truth as to who has played what role and what is the background. The truth will come out. The party top brass is aware of the issue,” Bommai said.

The Congress demanded a corruption case against the minister and his arrest.

The FIR, which was filed 11pm on Tuesday by a relative of the deceased, Prashanth Patil, said that Patil and other contractors completed road work in Belagavi in 2020-21 on Eshwarappa’s assurance that he would foot the bill. But when Patil and others met Eshwarappa and his associates Ramesh and Basavaraj requesting that bills of ₹4 crore be cleared, they demanded 40% commission, the FIR added.

“The Belagavi Contractors Association wrote a letter to the central government regarding the matter. Similarly, contractor Santosh Patil alleged in the media in March that minister KS Eshwarappa had demanded a 40% commission. Prior to this, Santhosh had confessed this to his wife Jaya and the complainant Prashanth. When they asked why he was regularly going to Bengaluru, he said that minister KS Eshwarappa had to clear his dues. After this, Santosh recorded a video where he said KS Eshwarappa would be responsible for his death,” said the FIR.

Police said Patil sent a note to the media and friends over WhatsApp around 11 pm on Monday and was found dead around 10am the next morning.

No arrests have taken place based on this FIR.

Despite increasing pressure, Eshwarappa ruled out a resignation. He said he never saw Patil’s face, and that there was a conspiracy against him. “He (Santosh) has given letters to Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union rural development and Panchayati Raj minister Giriraj Singh, alleging I have done work worth ₹4 crore and Eshwarappa’s aides are asking for a bribe. They have written to the state department in Karnataka. But we have written that there is no work order,” the minister said.

“I suspect he might have committed suicide out of fear because he was given notice [over the allegations[. The matter is in court now and our department has specified it in writing. These are baseless charges against me,” Eshwarappa added.

Patil’s family members initially told police and the media that they would not allow the body to be sent for post-mortem examination until Eshwarappa was arrested. “We are fighting for justice. We will allow shifting the body for post-mortem only after Eshwarappa and two associates mentioned in the FIR are arrested. We will extend all our support to the police in their investigation, and at the same time, the police should also support us,” said Prashanth Patil. Later, the Udupi district police convinced the family and the body was sent for post-mortem examination.

The Congress approached governor Thawarchand Gehlot and sought Eshwarappa’s dismissal from the state cabinet. Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar said that a corruption case must be registered against the minister. “We will go to Belagavi and meet Santosh Patil’s family. The post-mortem has been delayed, we don’t know the reason why. An FIR has been filed, and now the minister has to be arrested,” he said.

Bommai said he will speak with Eshwarappa over the phone and also meet him personally. “We will decide after discussing a few issues,” the CM said.