Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K.S. Eshwarappa, who ruled out stepping down from office after Udupi police booked him for abetment of suicide of contractor Santosh K. Patil, said a WhatsApp message being circulated as the ‘death note’ that had named him could be concocted.
“The text being circulated is not a death note. Actually, the Chief Minister himself told me that there was no death note found where his body was found. The text being circulated is a WhatsApp message. I don’t know who typed that message. There is neither his handwritten text nor signature. Do you consider it his death note?” he asked, addressing the press in Shivamogga.
The Minister reiterated that he had not seen Patil even once, while there were claims that he had met him 80 times. “He must have taken pictures with me as many people do. He had alleged that someone close to me had demanded him a bribe to clear the bills. As soon as I noticed his statement in the media, I filed a defamation petition against him,” he said.
