Karnataka minister booked for contractor's death, CM 'will talk to him'

case has been registered against Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) minister K S Eshwarappa for abetment of suicide over the death of a civil contractor in Udupi, police said on Wednesday.

They said Eshwarappa has been named as the first accused in the case.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he would speak to Eshwarappa personally on the issue to find out what actually happened.

The FIR was registered on Tuesday night following a complaint from Prashanth Patil, brother of Santhosh Patil, who had levelled bribery charges against the senior minister earlier.

Patil was found dead at a lodge in Udupi in a case of suspected suicide on Tuesday.

The complaint by Prashanth named minister Eshwarappa and his staff members Ramesh and Basavaraj as the accused.

In the complaint, Prashanth Patil said in the year 2020-21 residents of Hindalaga village had called on Eshwarappa in the state capital and requested him to lay roads, construct storm water drain and pavement in the hamlet.

He further stated that Eshwarappa gave the nod to start work without worrying about the budget, following which Santosh Patil was awarded the contract.

The complainant contended that his brother had undertaken works worth Rs 4 crore in the village.

He had invested his money in the project and the bill for the work was pending.

Santhosh had visited minister Eshwarappa several times and pleaded him to release the amount.

But his close aides Basavaraj and Ramesh were demanding 40 per cent commission, the complaint alleged.

Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, Bommai said, "An FIR has been filed.. I am going to talk to him (Eshwarappa) now, and will collect information from him. Will talk to him on a few things over the phone and will summon him for a one-to-one discussion."

Accusing the opposition Congress of attempting to find fault in the case, he said the investigation will reveal the truth.

"Once the inquiry is conducted, the truth will come out.. The background is very important in this case. Everything will be revealed in the investigation..," the CM said.

He reiterated that there will not be any interference in the case and the inquiry will happen in accordance with the law.

"Our national leaders are aware of this entire issue. Even I have informed them," he added

Meanwhile, a forensic team examined the evidence at the spot where Patil was found dead.

Patil's death had on Tuesday triggered a major political row with the Congress demanding the ouster of Eshwarappa even as its senior leader Rahul Gandhi had targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai over the issue.