Death of contractor: No question of resigning, says Karnataka Minister Eshwarappa
Bengaluru(PTI): Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa turned down the demand of the opposition Congress seeking his resignation after a contractor who had accused him of demanding 40 per cent commission was found dead in a Udupi hotel on Tuesday.
Santosh Patil from Belagavi was found dead in his room in a hotel in Udupi. He had earlier accused Eshwarappa of demanding commission on the work executed by him. The minister not only dismissed the allegations but also filed a defamation suit against him.
In his purported WhatsApp message, Patil held the minister responsible for his death.
"There is no question of resigning. We have to wait for the verdict of the court in the case I had filed against Santosh Patil. I make it very clear that I am not at fault anywhere," Eshwarappa said.
The minister reiterated that he did not know Santosh.
According to him, based on Santosh's allegation, the Union Ministry for Rural Development had written to the RDPR in Karnataka and accordingly, an answer was given.
"It is very clear that I am not wrong. After I filed the defamation suit, a notice has been sent to him. Now I have learnt through you that he has committed suicide. Other than that, I don't know anything else," Eshwarappa said.
The opposition Congress demanded the Minister's resignation after the contractor allegedly ended his life in Udupi.
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5 schoolchildren among 7 killed in blast in southwest Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): At least seven people, including five schoolchildren and a policeman, were killed on Friday in a remote-controlled blast in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, according to media reports.
The blast occurred at 8.35 am near a school at the Civil Hospital Chowk of the Mastung district of the province, Dawn newspaper reported.
“It appears that an IED (improvised explosive device) attached to a motorcycle was detonated near a police mobile,” Kalat Division Commissioner Naeem Bazai was quoted as saying in the report.
“So far, seven individuals have been killed, including five school students,” Bazai said. At least 22 people were injured in the attack.
Most of those injured were schoolchildren, Geo News reported, adding that they were shifted to a nearby hospital.
A police van and several auto-rickshaws were damaged in the explosion, according to the report.
An emergency was declared across all Quetta hospitals after the blast, the report said quoting the provincial health department spokesperson, adding that all doctors, pharmacists, staff nurses and other medical staff were summoned.
