Bangalore, June 15
The death of Padmapriya, wife of BJP legislator from Udupi Raghupathi Bhat, has come as a big jolt for the new BJP government in Karnataka.
Her body was found from a flat in the Dwarka area of Delhi today.
Padmapriya had left her Udupi house on June 10, saying she was going to visit her parents at Karnada near
Mulky.
On June 13, the car which she was driving herself was found abandoned near Kunjargiri hills near Katapady.
Padmapriya, who was in her early thirties, had not reached her stated destination, nor did she return home.
Cash, bangles, a SIM card and a few medicines were found inside the car. The incident came to light when a police team went to Kunjargiri to investigate a murder attempt on an auto-rickshaw driver. The abandoned car was spotted by the police and its ownership was traced subsequently.
At first, it was suspected that she had been abducted and a massive manhunt was launched
by the police to trace the missing woman.
Since Udupi is considered a stronghold of Naxalites, personnel from the police’s anti-Naxalite squads were also deployed for search operations.
Fire Brigade personnel were called in to search all water bodies in the vicinity to find out if Padampriya got drowned.
While the police is tight-lipped about the possible reasons for Padmapriya’s alleged suicide, it is believed that family problems may have led her to take the step.
Meanwhile, Ragupathi Bhat, who won by a small margin of 2,479 votes against his Congress rival in the recently held Assembly elections in the state, figures among the saffron party legislators having criminal records against their names.
The charges against Bhat include rioting and participation in unlawful assemblies.
The BJP government in the state is already facing problems owing to the incident of firing by the police on protesting farmers of Haveri that led to the death of one farmer.
Chief Minister Yeddyurappa today ordered a judicial probe into the incident. He had earlier ordered a commissioner-level inquiry into the incident, but pressure created by the opposition compelled the Chief Minister to order a judicial probe.
While the police firing incident of June 10 is still a hot issue for the opposition to nail the government, the death of the MLA’s wife in Delhi under mysterious circumstances will give fresh ammunition to the government’s detractors to pound Yeddyurappa and his team.
Importantly, tomorrow is the last date for filing nominations for the four Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in the state.
The recovery of the body of Padmapriya would give an opportunity to the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) to highlight the criminal past of some of the ruling party leaders on the eve of the RS elections.
Udupi SP Devajyoti Ray told this reporter that the disappearance from her husband’s home by Padmapriya was a “voluntary act” by her. Reports from Delhi also indicated that she had committed suicide.
