Contractor's death: Oppn demands Eshwarappa's arrest on murder charges & dismissal from Cabinet
Bengaluru(PTI): The opposition Congress in Karnataka on Tuesday demanded the arrest of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa and his dismissal from the Cabinet following the death of a civil works contractor who had accused him of demanding 40 per cent commission on a contract.
Patil was found dead in a lodge in the coastal town of Udupi on Tuesday with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide.
"Santosh K Patil is a BJP worker himself, has clearly said that Eshwarappa is directly responsible for his death. This comes under the ingredients (of offence) under Section 300 of the IPC warranting punishment under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC," Congress leader Siddaramaiah told reporters.
"Immediately Eshwarappa should be arrested and he should be dismissed from the cabinet forthwith. The Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai should not allow him to continue as minister in his cabinet since he is facing the murder charge. It is a serious offence punishable with life imprisonment or death penalty," the former Chief Minister said.
Patil from Belagavi district had earlier alleged that Eshwarappa had demanded 40 per cent commission on the value of the contract work executed by him. The minister not only dismissed his allegations but also filed a defamation suit against him.
In his purported message on social media, Patil allegedly held the Minister responsible for his death.
Referring to a DySP M K Ganapathi who committed suicide during his tenure as the Chief Minister accusing the then home minister K J George of exerting pressure, Siddaramaiah said based on the private complaint, a case was registered and accordingly, George had resigned.
The same precedence must be followed, Siddaramaiah said.
When asked about Eshwarappa's statement that he himself has filed a defamation suit against the contractor, Siddaramaiah said, "What Eshwarappa says is not important. He should be dismissed from the cabinet, a case must be registered and he should be arrested based on what Santosh Patil has said."
The Congress general secretary and Karnataka in charge Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that communal passion is being flared up in Karnataka to "cover up rampant corruption" in Karnataka, which is "evident from the instant case".
Later in a series of tweets, Siddaramaiah said the "entire BJP is responsible for his death".
"Sequence of events suggest that Santosh Patil did not take the decision in haste. He had written letters to @PMOIndia @narendramodi & @MoRD_GOI @girirajsinghbjp to provide relief from corruption by @ikseshwarappa. The entire @BJP4India is responsible for his death," Siddaramaiah tweeted.
Calling the Basavaraj Bommai government in Karnataka as '40% BJP Sarkar', Siddaramaiah said, "Narendra Modi should be ashamed to coin the slogan 'Na Khaunga, Na Khane Dunga'. He should limit himself to writing scripts for Bollywood films, instead of running the govt. I am not sure if he is capable to do even that."
Later, Congress activists staged a demonstration in the city demanding the arrest of Eshwarappa and his expulsion from the Cabinet.
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KSRTC to run 1000 special services to clear Christmas rush
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation will operate 1000 additional special services in view of the Christmas festival.
In addition to the existing schedule, the special services will run on 19.12.2025, 20.12.2025 and 24.12.2025. Further, special buses will be operated from various places of intra & Interstate places to Bengaluru on 26.12.2025 & 28.12.2025.
Special buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Shringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other places.
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Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri.
The corporation has also announced a discount of 5 per cent on the fare if four or more passengers book tickets under a single reservation. A discount of 10 per cent will be extended on return journey tickets if onward and return tickets are booked simultaneously.
In addition to the above, special buses will be operated from all Taluk/District Bus Stands in the jurisdiction of KSRTC based on the traffic needs.
