Alleging irregularities in the Karnataka police’s investigation into the death of her husband, Jayashree Patil — the wife of deceased contractor Santhosh Patil — has written to the Governor seeking a transparent investigation into the case. In her letter, she further alleged that the police were working in compliance with the main accused, former Rural Development and Panchayat Raj KS Eshwarappa.
Santhosh, a Belagavi-based contractor, was one of several contractors who accused the state BJP government of taking 40% of their commission as bribe. He was found dead in a lodge in Udupi on April 12, 2022, and a message that he sent to his friend purportedly named Eshwarappa as the “sole reason for his death”. Santhosh’s allegations and his subsequent death led to a political uproar in the state, following which Eshwarappa had reluctantly resigned from his post.
In her letter, Renuka expressed concern over Eshwarappa’s statements to the media, wherein he claimed that he will be acquitted in 15 days. She also alleged that the minister used his political power and money to influence the investigation in his favour, and that the police were acting as per his orders. “When the probe is still underway, how can [Eshwarappa] confidently say he will come out clean?,” she wrote in her letter to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, seeking his intervention in the matter.
Santhosh Patil had carried out road works in Hidalaga in Belagavi worth Rs 4 crore in 2019. However, even close to three years later, he did not see any reimbursement from the government, as he allegedly did not pay a 40% bribe to KS Eshwarappa. He had also earlier told TNM that no work order had been issued for the road works either. When the corruption charges came to light, KS Eshwarappa denied having known Santhosh and slapped a defamation case against him. Though Eshwarappa had maintained he would not quit his post even amid the political furore caused by the allegations, he resigned on April 16, 2022.