BJP worker's suicide sparks political storm in Karnataka; BJP demands FIR against two Congress MLAs

The suicide of a BJP worker has led to a political furore in Karnataka as the deceased has reportedly left behind a death note accusing some Congress leaders of harassing him. The death note of Vinay Somaiah (40) has allegedly mentioned four names including that of two Congress MLAs – Madikeri MLA Mantar Gowda and Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna, who is also the legal advisor to the chief minister.

 

Vinay, an operations manager in a private firm and a BJP party worker from Kodagu, was found hanging at his office in Nagwara, Bengaluru on Friday morning after sending a death note to his friends and family on WhatsApp. In the death note, Vinay held one Thennera Mahina, a Congress functionary, responsible for his death saying Mahina had harassed and tarnished his image over a social media post shared in a common WhatsApp group. He also stated that his death should be a lesson and prevent politically motivated FIRs and urged the police to think twice before filing an FIR against innocent people. While the authenticity of the death note is being questioned by the Congress leaders, the police are trying to ascertain if the death note was indeed written by Vinay and if a WhatsApp message is permissible as evidence under the law.

 

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders staged a protest outside the hospital in Bengaluru on Friday demanding that the police include the names of two Congress MLAs in the FIR for abetment to suicide. They also held a protest at Kushalnagar on Saturday morning and courted arrest, while insisting that the body should not be moved unless the FIR was “corrected”.

 

LOPs R. Ashok and Chalavadi Narayanswamy alleged that the Congress government was targeting BJP workers and demanded a CBI probe into the suicide.

 

"The police stations are functioning like Congress party offices. We demand that the Congress MLAs be named in the FIR," demanded Ashok. 

 

State party chief B.Y. Vijayendra, Ashok, former MLA KG Bopaiah, Kodagu-Mysuru MP Yaduveer Wadiyar and former MP Pratap Simha took part in the protest at Kushalnagar.

 

According to sources, Vinay, along with one Vishnu Nachappa, was the admin of a WhatsApp group meant to discuss the problems and solutions related to Kodagu. The public group had members from all political parties, local body representatives and officials. On February 2, Mahina filed a police complaint against Vinay and two others after one Rajendra uploaded a photo of a dirty public toilet in Napoklu along with the photo of Virajpet MLA Ponnanna during a discussion in the group.

 

“An FIR was filed at the Madikeri city police station. But Vinay secured anticipatory bail and the High Court also granted a stay in the case. But the police at the behest of the Congress leaders continued to harass Vinay, who had learnt about the police planning to open a rowdy sheeter (IPC section 107) against him under political pressure,” said former Virajpet MLA K.G. Bopaiah.

 

In the unverified death note, Vinay had stated that he was unable to control his mind over the last two months.

 

“I was made the admin (5 days before Rajendra's post) of the Whatsapp group - 'Kodaga problems and suggestions'. The FIR was politically motivated and Thenneera played with our lives by putting up posts calling us “kidigedigalu” (miscreants). He used our photos without our permission and made the posts viral across Kodagu, when we had not been proven guilty in court. You can imagine the agony caused to my family and friends. I could not face my mother from the day the FIR was filed against me. Mahina is directly responsible for my death. I am not the first person to lose my life because of Mahina. In another case, a man committed suicide on the day Mahina’s wife got admitted to a hospital. Police should probe that case and punish the guilty.  Even after the court granted bail, the Madikeri police called my cousin and friends, went to their houses and conducted a search to arrest me. A police constable from Madikeri told me it was all on the orders of Virajpet MLA Ponnanna,” said the note.

 

Recalling several instances when he was targeted, Vijay wrote, “During the Kodava-Gowda conflict, Ponnanna had falsely claimed that I had called him. I had only messaged him to inform him about the issue. But they have filed an FIR against me for a photo posted by someone else. In another instance, I had raised questions about Kushalnagar's GVT Hospital in the group and Madikeri MLA Mantar Gowda called and scolded me for posting the message. If you look at the call records you will know who had made the calls. Harish Poovaiah repeatedly posted our photos in the ‘Kodava Makka’ group of Permera and ‘Nanga Kodaga’ on March 11 and called us miscreants. The reason for all this is Tenneera Mahina, who made people share his article about us. We learnt from our sources that they were planning to open a rowdy sheet against us. All these people should be punished.  Only then will justice be served for my death,” said the deceased in his death note which also urged Karnataka BJP to support his family.

 

“The Hennur police station gave us the FIR copy. But it had only one name. We requested them to include the names of all four mentioned in the death note,” said Vinay’s brother Vivek.

 

Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated that the FIR had been filed and the police were investigating it. “The DCP concerned will probe it. But not everything that is on social media can be trusted. We will verify and take action,” he added.

 

Mahina, while speaking to reporters, claimed that he had not harassed Vinay as claimed in the death note. “I am in a responsible position in the party. So, on February 2, I filed a complaint in Madikeri over the derogatory photo and comment posted in the WhatsApp group. The HC granted bail and stayed. It is not true that I harassed Vinay or anybody. Let them clarify who has put pressure on the police to harass them," said Mahina. 

 

Vishnu Nachappa, the other admin of the WhatsApp group, claimed that there was harassment and Vinay being a sensitive person was disturbed by it. “The photo of the MLA was posted by Rajendra in the group. Vinay being the admin deleted the post within 30 seconds after it was posted. But the Congress worker took a screenshot and posted it. The group has taluk and zilla panchayat presidents PDOs, all party workers, social workers and civil society members. Even after the court granted us bail, they took our profile picture and made posters labeling us as miscreants and called us the Accused No. 1, 2 and 3. They shared these posters everywhere. It has caused us immense pain and harmed our reputation. Vinay being a sensitive person was disturbed by all this. On March 21, cops from the Madikeri city police station called us separately to tell us that a case under IPC 107 (BNS 226) had been filed and we had to sign at Tahsildar's office. When we sought clarification, they said they would send notice on WhatsApp. We told them we would consult our lawyer and reply. They were harassing Vinay, too,” said Nachappa. 

India