Mangaluru: Case turns high profile as ADGP steps in

Mangaluru: The event of deploying up the top sleuth of the ADGP rank into the investigation of the suicide of civil contractor Santhosh Patil has raised a few eyebrows and also turned the case high profile.

The ADGP law and order Pratap Reddy is known for his meticulous research and well-drawn conclusions, his work in the Manipal rape case, the Mysuru gang rape case and many others have left a mark on the police work and dispensation of Justice.

After a round of talks with the investigating team, Pratap Reddy told reporters that he has given the team explicit instructions. He said that seven teams have been sent to different parts of the state to get evidence.

The report from the Forensic Science Lab (FSL) will be given to the police by an independent group, but we will ask for it to be done quickly, he said. When asked if there was enough evidence to say this was a case of suicide, the police official said: "We're going to look into everything."

There were no direct phone calls between Santhosh Patil and K S Eshwarappa, which is the first observation that the investigation conducted so far has revealed. Two of Patil's friends, Santhosh Medappa and Prashanth Shetty, have been taken into custody by the police to Chikkamagalur, where an inquest will be held into the places they had been before coming to Udupi on April 11th.

Police have confirmed that the death was caused by poisoning, But, they are still baffled about how the poisoning has taken place? This is the question before the investigating team now, Reddy said.

It is now beyond any doubt that the Santhosh Patil suicide case will have political overtones following the resignation of KS Eshwarappa one of the heavyweight ministers of the state cabinet, and the Congress party the principal opposition party in the state assembly clamouring for arrest and implication of Eshwarappa.

"The event of arrest and further proceedings on Eshwarappa will hinge on the investigations and the findings. But it is also true that the Udupi police have filed an FIR and a case of abetment of suicide under strict sections of the Cr PC. Under such conditions, Eshwarappa must have been arrested and of course, bail and other processes must have been followed within a few hours of filing the case by the police" said a former high ranking police officer on conditions of anonymity.

The letter signed by the Additional Chief Secretary of the RDPR department on March 23 states that the payments that Santhosh Patil was demanding for the completion of 108 different civil works at a cost of Rs. 4.06 crores had no legal sanction. As per the records, there was no clearance issued by the government or the RDPR department and not even a tender was floated for all the 108 works.

How and why Patil took up the works and on whose assurances and direction is the question that will unlock several secrets.

This high profile case was what the Congress party was waiting and an issue of this nature has fallen into its lap. "This case has proved that the BJP governed State government was nourishing corruption under the blanket of political power, we will go to the bottom of it and expose the party and its leaders," said KPCC president DK Shivakumar.

The BJP leaders were also countering the charges by mentioning the corruption during the Congress regime which is a wrong strategy according to the internal political consultants of the BJP. BL Santhosh who is the national general secretary is in the state for attending the state executive at Hosapete in Vijaynagar district on Friday had 'advised' the party leaders to weigh their options before commenting on the issue.

Opposition leader in the State Assembly S Siddaramaiah is also bent on somehow connecting the charges of corruption to the central leadership of BJP which is now getting traction in the party.

The two days 'Arrest Eshwarappa' drive organised by the party all over the state has given this idea to their campaigners in this drive.

"Our aim is to remove the mask of virtues that the BJP is wearing and expose their internal decay of values and morals," Siddaramiah told in his part of the campaign in Chikkamagaluru on Saturday.

But it is yet to be seen if this issue will linger long enough in the minds of the voters which the Congress hopes to and BJP hopes not, till it is election time in May 2023.