Prashant Patil, the brother of Bharatiya Janata Party member and contractor Santosh Patil who died of suspected suicide on Tuesday, 12 April, accused Karnataka's Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister KS Eshwarappa of causing his death and called for his arrest.
Santosh had earlier accused the Karnataka minister of demanding a 40% commission on the bills of a road work project.
Last month, the late BJP member told The News Minute that Eshwarappa had allegedly not released payments for a commission Patil had finished in 2019, and that due to this, he was being hounded by loan sharks.
'Arrest Eshwarappa': What Santosh Patil's Brother Said
Breaking down in front of the camera, Prashant Patil said, "Until Eshwarappa doesn't get arrested, we will not remove the dead body. If a middle-class person has undertaken a 4 crore rupees project, how would you do it? He could have done it by taking loans...You all know about the entire issue. What I would like to demand through media is that we should get justice and Eshwarappa should get arrested."
Patil was one of the many contractors who had accused the BJP government in Karnataka of asking for exorbitant bribes from contractors and increasing corruption.
Distressing visuals of Patil's bereaved family members also emerged on Tuesday. "He had not done anything to anyone. Why did this have to happen to him?" a woman could be heard crying.
Congress Stages Protest in Shivamogga
Meanwhile, reacting to the news, Congress workers in Shivamogga protested outside the minister's residence, where slogans of 'We Want Justice' were raised.
Congress leader DK Shivakumar has also demanded a judicial inquiry into Santhosh Patil's death.
Santhosh, who hailed from Hindalaga in Belagavi, had been missing since Monday, 11 April. A day later, his body was found in a lodge in Udupi.
Police officials are investigating a text message he purportedly sent to his friends stating that he had decided to end his life and that Eshwarappa was "solely responsible for his death."
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)