Kodagu BJP worker’s death takes political turn with party demanding arrest of two Congress MLAs and probe by CBI

BJP demands CBI probe into Kodagu worker's suicide, accuses Congress MLAs of harassment, seeks police suspension.

The suicide of an Opposition BJP worker from Kodagu, Vinay Somaiah, has taken a political turn with the party demanding a CBI probe into the death and seeking the arrest of two Congress MLAs — A.S. Ponnanna and Manthar Gowda — whom they have accused of harassing the deceased as stated in a purported death note being circulated on WhatsApp.

The BJP, which has lined up a series of protests against the Congress government on price rise and other issues, is expected to take a call on Saturday on its course of action with respect to the death.

BJP senior leaders, including Leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses of the State legislature R. Ashok and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, on Friday visited Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Hospital in Bengaluru where Mr. Somaiah’s body was kept. They alleged that the deceased had mentioned in his purported death note that the two MLAs and their close aide Thennira Myna were harassing him. Taking exception to the FIR not mentioning the names of MLAs, they demanded that their names be included. They also demanded suspension of the Kodagu Superintendent of Police.

Mr. Narayanaswamy maintained that Mr. Somaiah, who was also an admin of a WhatsApp group, had been booked by the police for allowing a post on the toilet in a government hospital lacking cleanliness. He alleged that the police had started harassing him since then. The alleged harassment continued even though Mr. Somaiah obtained bail from the Karnataka High Court in the case. “Even after Vinay left Madikeri and came to his home in Bengaluru, the police continued to harass him,” Mr. Ashok alleged.

BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra alleged that the instances of harassment and attacks against the BJP workers were increasing after the Congress came to power.

Mr. Narayanaswamy alleged the police under the Congress regime had not acted fairly in earlier such cases, including that of police sub-inspector Parashuram of Yadgir who had accused MLA Channa Reddy of harassment, contractor Sachin Panchal of Kalaburagi who had accused Minister Priyank Kharge’s aide of harassing him, and clerk Rurdranna Yadavanna at the tahsildar’s office in Belagavi who had blamed Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar as being responsible for his death.