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Contractor dies by suicide inKarnataka,political row erupts
President of the Tumakuru District Contractors’ Association, Balaram, said the man had accrued huge amounts of loans and even sold his house five months ago to repay the debt.
Bengaluru: A 50-year-old contractor in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district, about 70 km from capital Bengaluru, has died by suicide, reviving allegations of corruption against the Basavaraj Bommai-led government ahead of assembly elections next year. He was tasked with completing a government project under Smart City Project worth ₹16 crores.
According to the police, the contractor’s body was found at a guest house in Devarayanadurga and a case of unnatural death has been registered in the matter at Kyathasandra Police Station.
“He died by suicide on Thursday. A case under CRPC section 174 was registered for unnatural death on Friday. We found a suicide note that he left behind. He has simply said ‘no one is responsible for my death’,” an investigating officer said, requesting anonymity.
President of the Tumakuru District Contractors’ Association, Balaram, said the man had accrued huge amounts of loans and even sold his house five months ago to repay the debt.
“He had taken several loans. Six months back he even sold his house. He was working under somebody else as he had lost eligibility. The corruption has increased, officers are working irresponsibly, and he died due to excess loans. He was very depressed for the past few months,” said president of the Tumakuru District Contractors’ Association, Balaram.
A friend of the deceased also said that the contractor was depressed over the government’s failure to clear dues, and pressure from the loan sharks forced him to take the extreme step. “I didn’t get any clue that he was going to end his life. Although he was telling me yesterday that he had several pending bills. He died mostly because of his financial condition,” he said on condition of anonymity.
In April, BJP MLA KS Eshwarappa had to resign from the state cabinet after a huge controversy over the suicide of a contractor. Eshwarappa, who has now been cleared in the case, was named in the police case filed over the suicide after a letter purportedly written by the deceased accused him of being “solely responsible” for his death.
The Opposition Congress has also been raising the corruption matter in the state government with its ‘PayCM’ campaign, accusing the Bommai-led BJP government of charging 40 per cent commission on public works.
The Karnataka chief minister has dismissed the Congress campaign as an “evil design” and “politically motivated”.
On Saturday, the Congress party took on Home Minister Amit Shah who is touring Karnataka over the issue of demands for commission. “@AmitShah, Why are they tight-lipped about the 40% commission charge by contractors? Why aren’t you meeting with contractors who are suicidal?... Don’t want to investigate the contractor’s allegations?” Karnataka Congress tweeted.
Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, too, asked if the BJP leaders in Karnataka were sharing their share of the 40% commission with their Central leaders. “Young civil contractors... ended their lives, as they were tortured by corrupt Ministers and officers,’‘ he alleged.
HT reached out to BJP leaders in the state, but couldn’t get a response till late on Saturday.
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