CM Bommai says contractor’s death will be probed, no question of Eshwarappa resigning

Santhosh, the contractor who was found dead, had last month accused Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa Eshwarappa of corruption.
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai
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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that there is "no question" of Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa resigning over the death of contractor and BJP member Santhosh Patil. Santhosh had last month accused Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa of corruption, and had told TNM that he had not been paid for a project he completed in 2019 as the minister had demanded a 40% commission.

Santhosh was on Tuesday, April 12, found dead in a hotel in Udupi and in his last text message to one of his friends, he had blamed Eshwarappa for his death. Addressing the media on Tuesday, CM Bommai said that the police will conduct an independent probe into the contractor’s death. 

“The police will investigate the case and there will be an impartial probe. We will take action after an investigation. Santhosh Patil had made allegations against Eshwarappa, and in retaliation, Eshwarappa had filed a defamation case. Eshwarappa told me in the Vidhan Sabha that he has filed a case and then a notice was sent to Santhosh. Unfortunately, Santhosh died by suicide. All this will be investigated. The loss of life can’t be compensated. I condole the death,” Bommai said.

The Congress has demanded the resignation of the minister, but CM Bommai said that such a similar situation had also emerged during former CM Siddaramaiah’s tenure but at the time, nobody had resigned. “When the Siddaramaiah government was in power, one police official had died by suicide too. At that time, did any minister tender a resignation?” Bommai added.

Union Minister Prahlad Joshi condoled Santhosh’s death but said that Santhosh had not provided any proof to support his allegations of officials demanding bribes. “He didn't give any proof for his commission allegation. We also don’t have proof on who all have been demanding 40% commission. I don't know why he mentioned Eshwarappa's name in his death note,” said Joshi.

Santhosh was one of many contractors who had accused the BJP government in Karnataka of asking for exorbitant bribes from contractors and increasing corruption. Santhosh was the national secretary of the Hindu Yuva Vahini and a member of the BJP. He had revealed to TNM last month that Eshwarappa demanded that he pay 40% bribe before his payment could go through, and that due to this, he was being hounded by loan sharks.

He also told TNM that there was no work order raised for the road work that he undertook in Hindalga as Eshwarappa had given him an oral assurance that he will personally take care of everything. “But neither the work order was raised, nor was the payment released. When I kept following up with Eshwarappa, some of his assistants asked me for 40% of the total project — almost Rs 4 crore — to have the total payment processed,” Patil had told TNM.

Santhosh had also accused officials in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) of corruption as well.

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