Santosh Patil, a contractor from Udupi who had accused senior BJP politician KS Eshwarappa of corruption and fraud, committed suicide on Tuesday in a tragic turn of events. Patil, the national secretary of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, was discovered dead in an Udupi lodge. The contractor requested that the Karnataka BJP leader be held accountable for his death.
According to the authorities, he claimed in a message sent to his friends the day before he committed suicide, “I am going on a journey of no return. I have taken this decision after suppressing all my wants and desires. I have brought some friends with me, after lying to them that we are going on a picnic. But they are not responsible for my death. I thank all my friends I also thank the journalists for highlighting my problems.”
He even appealed to PM Modi and former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to safeguard his wife and child in his final letter. Patil’s house in Hindalaga village was visited by police, who spoke with his relatives. His wife stated he left stating he was going on a picnic with friends, which is something Patil does frequently, so she didn’t think much of it.
Patil recently levelled grave claims against Eshwarappa, alleging that when he requested for his invoices to be cleared, Eshwarappa demanded a 40% bribe. He claimed to have executed a contract for Rs 4 crore at Hindalaga Gram Panchayat for the construction of roads. Patil further stated that he paid the Rural Development Department Rs 15 lakh in bribery to get his invoices paid.
In retaliation to Patil’s claims, Eshwarappa launched a defamation suit and rejected the claims of corruption. Santosh Patil’s reported suicide is being investigated, according to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. He went on to say that the government will not interfere in the probe.
