Outcome of police probe upsets contractor’s wife

Belagavi: Contractor Santosh Patil’s wife Renuka on Wednesday said her husband did not lie when he said that former minister KS Eshwarappa had driven him to suicide. She was reacting to the clean chit the police have given the former minister in the case in which he was the key accused. “Will the investigation agencies accept the crime of former minister KS Eshwarappa if I commit suicide by keeping a death note in my handwriting mentioning his name?” she asked when media persons sought her reaction.
Patil, a Belagavi-based contractor, committed suicide after alleging harassment by Eshwarappa and his aides and said that the then minister had demanded a 40% commission to clear bills for the work he had done.
“My husband committed suicide after writing a message on social media, clearly mentioning Eshwarappa’s name for his extreme step. But investigation officers want it in a handwritten letter. Now, I will write my death note and commit suicide. Will police officers accept that?” she asked. “A person about to end his life doesn’t lie,” she said.
“My husband has done 108 civil works in the Hindalaga gram panchayat limits. Why was the administration silent while he was doing the work? Why wasn’t the inquiry conducted then? The case is being killed using political influence. I will knock on the doors of the court and even carry the fight to grab the attention of PM Narendra Modi to get justice,” she said.