BJP accuses ruling party of ‘harassment’ after party worker’s ‘suicide’; Congress refutes charge
On April 4, Hennur police registered an FIR against Kodagu district Congress spokesperson Thennira Maina under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on the basis of a note recovered during the investigation.
Bengaluru: The Hennur police have stepped up its investigation into the alleged suicide of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker from Kodagu district, an officer said on Monday, adding that the focus is on the digital evidence and tracking the individual’s recent contacts. Meanwhile, the case has triggered a political slugfest with the BJP alleging harassment and the Congress accusing the opposition of politicising the death.
On April 4, Hennur police registered an FIR against Kodagu district Congress spokesperson Thennira Maina under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on the basis of a note recovered during the investigation. “No case has been registered against anyone else since the investigation has not shown the involvement of anyone else,” a senior police officer said. The party worker died allegedly by suicide on April 4.
Another officer said that the BJP worker’s mobile phone, laptop, and the purported death note have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). “When did he come to Bengaluru? Who was he in contact with? Who did he last speak to? An investigation is underway. The call details (CDR) is being examined,” said the officer, adding that the FSL was also working to retrieve deleted data from the devices, and was reviewing the authenticity of the death certificate.
“FSL experts are trying to recover the deleted data from the mobile phone. The authenticity of the death certificate is also being verified,” the officer added.
Following the incident, the BJP demanded police to name other senior Congress MLAs in the FIR, a claim the Congress has a refuted.
Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra on Monday criticised the police and the Congress government for what he termed as continued harassment of party workers. “Police behaved in a brutal manner. Even after bail was granted, why did they go to his house? What does that even mean? This case will not be left here — we will fight it legally,” he said.
He further claimed that BJP activists across the state were facing pressure from the government. “We will not tolerate the government’s oppression of our karyakartas. The BJP state unit has done everything possible so far. But he mentioned police harassment in his death note. If any Hindu or BJP worker is troubled over a social media post or harassed by Congress leaders, they should reach out to us directly. We will provide them with all the legal support they need. BJP stands with them,” he added.
Congress leaders, however, dismissed the BJP’s accusations. Rural development and panchayat raj minister Priyank Kharge said the BJP had a record of using such incidents for political mileage. “Do you consider WhatsApp message as a death note? Even if you did, does it name Congress legislators AS Ponnanna and Manthar Gowda? They (BJP) want to keep up its identity, and its leaders want to please the high command by politicising the deaths,” he said.
Kharge also questioned the BJP’s follow-through on past protests. “When a youth in Bidar committed suicide, was my name there? They held a huge protest in Kalaburagi. Did they follow it up? Neither are they following up with investigations nor did they raise the issue in the assembly. They are not trying to find out the truth. The Kodagu case is part of lies being peddled by the BJP,” he said.
Leader of opposition R Ashoka on Friday demanded a CBI probe and said: “Congress MLAs AS Ponnanna and Manthar Gowda, and party worker Thennira Maheena are directly responsible for Vinay’s death. All three must be arrested.”
In response, home minister G Parameshwara ruled out the need for a CBI probe, stating that the state police were competent to handle the case. “The investigation is ongoing, and the police are awaiting FSL reports to determine the next steps,” he said.
