Prashant K. Patil, elder brother of Santosh K. Patil, the civil contractor and BJP worker who was found dead in Udupi, has demanded the immediate arrest of K.S. Eshwarappa, RDPR Minister, saying the Minister’s “corrupt ways” had led to his brother’s death.
“We will not carry out the last rites of my brother till Mr. Eshwarappa is arrested,’’ Mr. Prashant told journalists in Belagavi on Tuesday. He alleged that Mr. Eshwarappa had sought 40% commission from Santosh and that the Minister “tortured” his brother by filing defamation cases after he went public with the allegations.
Mr. Prashant, who came to the police station at Belagavi camp to lodge a missing complaint about his brother, was shocked to know that his brother’s body was found in a hotel in Udupi. “My brother took loans to take up civil contracts. He invested ₹4 crore in civil works in Hindalaga village. But the Minister refused to clear his bills. The Minister wanted bribes to settle the bills. Even an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not help us,’’ he said. He said Santosh must have visited New Delhi and Bengaluru several hundred times. “We are shocked that a dedicated BJP worker did not get justice in the BJP Government,’’ Mr. Prashant said.
Jayashree Patil, Santosh’s wife, alleged that rampant corruption in the State Government had “killed” her husband. “I have a two-year-old son. Where will I go now? Who will help me?” she told The Hindu.
“He did not have that kind of money when he started work. He took loans from friends and money lenders to arrange for the material and labour,’’ Ms. Jayashree said.
“He was a big fan of Mr. Modi. He was very confident that Mr. Modi would help him. But he was disappointed to find that the PM’s office forgot about the letter after forwarding it to the State Government,” she said. “My husband campaigned for the BJP not only in Karnataka, but in Uttar Pradesh too. He had served as the national secretary of the Hindu Yuva Vahini. He worked for the party without expecting anything in return.”
