Santhosh Patil, the BJP member and contractor who had accused senior Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa of asking for a bribe worth 40% of the total cost of a project, was found dead on Tuesday, April 12 in Udupi.
The contractor took his life in a lodge close to the main bus stand in Udupi, preliminary investigation suggested. Since Monday, April 11, Santhosh, who is from Hindalaga in Belagavi, had been missing. Police officials are reportedly investigating a message he purportedly sent his friends stating that Eshwarappa was ‘directly responsible’ for his death, and that the Minister should be punished.
Santhosh, apart from Eshwarappa, had accused officials in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) of corruption as well.
Earlier, after learning that Santhosh had sent a message to his friends that he had decided to end his life, Belagavi police had launched a search for the contractor. Patil, in the message sent to his friends on April 11, had said that Eshwarappa is ‘directly responsible’ for his death, and that the Minister should be punished.
“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,” he said in the message. “I thank all my friends I also thank the journalists for highlighting my problems,” he wrote, according to the police.
Patil also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to protect his wife and child. “I request Mr. Yediyurappa, a senior leader of the Lingayat community, and anyone who can help my family, to help them out,” he wrote.
Santhosh, a day before his death, had sent a message to a friend saying that Eshwarappa was “directly responsible” for his death, The Hindu reported.
“The sole reason for my death is Eshwarappa, Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. He should be punished accordingly. I have kept aside my dreams and taken this decision. My wife and son should get help from the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and senior Lingayat leader Yediyurappa,” the message read.
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