FIR against three top officials of K'taka tribal devt corp as accounts officer dies by suicide
Shivamogga (PTI): A 48-year-old accounts superintendent of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) is suspected to have died by suicide at his residence in his hometown here, police said on Tuesday.
Chandrasekaran P, who is posted in Bengaluru, purportedly left a six-page note before hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence on Sunday evening, they said.
In the purported suicide note, he has held three of his senior colleagues responsible for his death as well as the alleged misappropriation of around Rs 87 crore, police said.
"He has mentioned about misappropriation of around Rs 87 crore through various depositions and the reasons behind his extreme step. He alleged that he was 'harassed' by his three colleagues who allegedly used him for 'misappropriation of funds for personal gains'.
"Later, when he came to know that if an inquiry is initiated and an FIR is registered against him, he would be jailed and that also prompted him to take this drastic step," a senior police officer said.
The deceased accused his senior officers of forcing him to open a parallel bank account to divert unaccounted money from the corporation's primary account, he said in the note.
He also alleged that he was directed by a minister and an officer to open a “sweep-in and sweep-out account” that allowed customers to transfer funds between savings and current accounts and link fixed deposit accounts at a bank branch on M G Road in Bengaluru, the police officer said.
According to the police, he returned from Bengaluru to his hometown on Friday for the weekend and he died by suicide on Sunday when no one was home. The incident came to light the same evening when his wife Kavitha and son returned home from Bhadravati where they had gone to attend a family function.
"Initially, we registered a case of unnatural death at Vinoba Nagar police in Shivamogga but later, when we recovered the death note, we registered a case under 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code against the three government officials," the officer said.
The accused government employees are currently absconding, he added.
According to Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra, the case has been handed over to the CID and an FIR has been registered against KMVSTDC Managing Director J G Padmanabha, Durganna and Suchismita.
“Whoever is involved in it and however influential they are, we will not spare them. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar have taken it seriously. If the forensic report says that the MD had signed on it, then we will suspend him. We will not let the leakage of public money happen,” the minister said at a press conference.
Nagendra said the scam was perpetrated while transferring money from one bank to another.
“Close to Rs 87 crore was transferred. So far Rs 28 crore has been recovered. We have spoken to the chairman and directors of the Union Bank of India, and everyone has said that they will refund Rs 50 crore by Tuesday evening,” the minister said.
Mahazar (spot inspection) has been done, police said adding that the purported suicide note and the mobile phone of the deceased accounts officer has been seized for further investigation.
Home Minister G Parameshwara has said that Crime Investigation Department will investigate to see what has transpired.
His death triggered a political row in the state with Leader of Opposition R Ashoka demanding the sacking of Minister Nagendra.
Karnataka BJP chief B Y Vijayendra alleged that Congress leaders were indulging in corruption under the disguise of working for Dalits and tribal communities.
"The Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department Minister B Nagendra should be dismissed from the cabinet immediately and I demand a transparent investigation into the officer's death," he posted on social media platform X in Kannada.
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Kerala polls: Vijayan, Revanth Reddy trade barbs as campaigning ends
Kannur (Kerala)/Hyderabad (PTI): A war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy turned acrimonious on Tuesday, the final day of campaigning for the April 9 Assembly polls.
The two leaders sparred on the virtual world as well, exchanging letters on their respective social media handles.
The escalation came after Vijayan, responding to Reddy's earlier remarks, used Malayalam expressions considered nearly derogatory, signalling strong disapproval of the Telangana CM's comments.
Reddy, campaigning for the UDF in Kollam district, hit back swiftly, likening Vijayan to PM Narendra Modi.
He said he would take any personal remarks from the senior leader as a "blessing" considering his age, but objected to what he described as insults directed at the people of Kerala. "But you cannot abuse our Kerala people," he said, hours before campaigning drew to a close.
The controversy began after Reddy had said "nee po mone Vijaya" by invoking a famous dialogue from superstar Mohanlal's blockbuster movie "Narasimham" while referring to Vijayan on April 1 during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom constituency.
Earlier in the day, while reacting to Reddy's earlier remarks, Vijayan said a CM must maintain basic standards of conduct and questioned whether such dignity was being followed.
In his response to a query, Vijayan used Malayalam words that were seen as nearly derogatory for Reddy, signalling his strong disapproval of the remarks made against him.
Sharply reacting to the CM's objectionable remarks, Congress leader V D Satheesan said Vijayan appeared to have "completely lost composure" and warned that any further deterioration in his conduct would have brought "greater embarrassment" to the state.
After the critical remarks during the press meet, Vijayan wrote on his 'X' handle that political differences are natural, but expressing strong disagreement through personally insulting remarks is an attitude that he rejects. Reddy's statements lacked factual backing.
In a detailed letter attached with the 'X' post addressing the Telangana CM, Vijayan said the experience of the people of Kerala was "vastly different" from what Reddy had portrayed.
He clarified that he did not intend to engage in a debate over the performance of the Telangana government, stating that it was for the people of Telangana and political parties there to assess their government.
Referring to Reddy's comments, Vijayan said the LDF government has been consistently publishing progress reports over the past 10 years on the implementation of its election promises, underlining its commitment to continuous accountability.
He also rejected the allegation of "selective appropriation" of Kerala's achievements, including its top ranking in the NITI Aayog SDG Index, and said such criticism was misplaced.
Dismissing claims of industrial stagnation, Vijayan said Kerala has made significant strides in the startup ecosystem and ease of doing business, adding that these achievements have been widely acknowledged.
He also alleged that key infrastructure projects in Kerala, including the Kochi Metro and Vizhinjam Port, faced delays under previous Congress-led governments at the Centre, while long-pending promises such as a railway coach factory remained unfulfilled.
Vijayan further accused the BJP-led Union government of discrimination against Kerala and said the state has been actively resisting what he described as "anti-federal and undemocratic" policies through legal and political means, including approaching the Supreme Court.
He also rejected Reddy's criticism that the LDF was not vocal enough against the BJP, asserting that Kerala has been at the forefront of defending constitutional values.
Concluding his letter, Vijayan reiterated the state government's commitment to building a "Nava Keralam" and moving forward as a model for others.
On April 1, while addressing party workers in Nemom, Reddy used the popular Malayalam film dialogue "Nee po mone Vijaya". He adapted it to target Vijayan, saying "Nee po mone Vijaya".
Reddy went further, claiming that Vijayan's "time is over" and that his "expiry date has passed".
Responding to these allegations, Vijayan had said that the Telangana CM was "misinformed" and accused him of "ridiculing" Kerala and its people while trying to hide the weaknesses of his own state.
In a later response, Reddy defended his remarks and said that many of the statistics cited by Vijayan were taken from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023 24, arguing that the data was already outdated.
Reddy in his letter questioned the veteran Marxist leader's claim that Kerala would become the first state to completely eradicate extreme poverty by late 2025 had been achieved. Further, he chooses to conduct himself respectfully and gracefully in his criticism of the Kerala government's performance, whereas Vijayan opted to use language of poor taste.
Reddy, in his letter on X, said that while he respects NITI Aayog's corruption rankings, he wants to know why the infamous gold smuggling case, linked to individuals connected to the CMO, remains unresolved, and why 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has not been accounted for.
