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BJP seeks Hebbalkar’s resignation, day after official’s death in Belagavi
R Ashoka said that broader trend of harassment is prevalent under the current Congress administration
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday demanded resignation of minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar and a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into deaths of government officials, a day after an official in Belagavi tehsildar’s office died allegedly by suicide after leaving messages accusing several officials, including a personal assistant (PA) who allegedly worked for the minister.
Leader of opposition in the state assembly R Ashoka said that broader trend of harassment is prevalent under the current Congress administration. “Whenever Siddaramaiah becomes the chief minister or whenever the Congress comes to power, harassment and suicides among honest officers seem inevitable. The suicide case of the official in Belagavi marks the fourth such incident in the past 17 months. It highlights the extreme levels of corruption within the Congress government,” he said.
In response to the demands for her resignation, the women and child development minister called the allegations as “baseless”.
The alleged suicide of 35-year-old second division assistant (SDA) at the tehsildar office in Belagavi, has triggered serious accusations against several officials, including a personal assistant (PA) allegedly of minister Hebbalkar.
The official, who was found dead on Tuesday morning at the office in Risaldar Galli, reportedly left messages on social media accusing three people, including tehsildar Basavaraj Nagaral, Ashok Kabbaligar, and an individual identified as Somu, a PA allegedly associated with the minister.
Belagavi deputy commissioner of police Rohan Jagadish quoted the deceased’s colleagues as stating that he had allegedly sent a message to the office’s WhatsApp group on Monday night, announcing his intention to end his life. The following morning, the cleaning staff allegedly discovered his body, he said.
One of the colleagues of the deceased, on condition of anonymity, said: “Minister’s PA Somu Doddawad used to interfere in the day-to-day work of the tehsildar office and forced us to do work that was not supposed to be done. The deceased, who was a personal assistant to the tehsildar, used to work under high pressure from PA Somu Doddawad.”
“I demand minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar to be immediately removed from the cabinet and the case be handed over to the CBI for investigation,” Ashoka said on Wednesday while calling for an SIT to investigate into alleged bribery pressures in government offices.
BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal accused Hebbalkar of fostering an environment of corruption that he believes led to the official’s death. “Lakshmi Hebbalkar has caused the death of a government employee. Her corrupt ways forced the innocent man to end his life. There is no doubt about it,” he said while urging Hebbalkar to step down.
“It is very well known that Hebbalkar is very corrupt. I have received several complaints against her. She has used corrupt ways during her election and also, in getting her ministry. A high-level inquiry should be ordered against her,” he further said.
In response to the demands for her resignation, Hebbalkar demanded for a fair investigation and expressed her condolences to the official’s family. She further said that she first heard of the incident through media reports and distanced herself from allegations.
“I cannot ask the BJP not to protest, but politicising this issue is unnecessary. The official himself stated earlier that Madam (referring to me) had no role in this matter, so baseless allegations are inappropriate,” she said.
Hebbalkar’s brother, MLC Channaraj Hattiholi, also called for a thorough investigation and defended his sister’s reputation, adding that the official had mentioned various issues within the tehsildar’s office in a group message before his death. “We do not rely solely on PAs to do our work. Me and my sister Lakshmi Hebbalkar maintain direct contact with the people. Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar is a leader who stays in close touch with the public,” he told reporters.
He further said: “I have no knowledge of such transactions. He was a young government employee with many years of service ahead of him. I do not have full details on the incident, but I have seen his message in the WhatsApp group before his death, mentioning injustices in the tehsildar’s office. The police should investigate this.”
