Karnataka Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson SL Dharmegowda was found dead on a railway track near Kadur in Chikkamagaluru district on Tuesday, The Hindu reported. He is suspected to have died by suicide.
The Railway Police told the newspaper that Dharamegowda left a note behind. However, the police have not shared its contents. The Janata Dal (Secular) leader’s body has been taken to the Shimoga government hospital for investigation, according to India Today.
“There was a death note recovered from the site but cannot give out details of what’s in it,” Inspector General of Police (West) Devajyoti Ray said. The Janata Dal (Secular) leader left his farmhouse at Ayyanakere near Sakharayapatna town with driver Dharmaraj on Monday evening. Dharmaraj said that Dharmegowda asked him to stop the car when they were near Gunasagar around 6.15 pm. He asked the driver to wait till he returned. The driver later called Dharmegowda’s personal staff as he did not return for hours. The politician’s phone was found switched off.
The police and the local residents later found his body at a railway track. Some media reports suggested that Dharmegowda was affected by the heckling incident that took place in the state Legislative Council on December 15. The Congress MLAs had allegedly removed the deputy chairperson from the seat in the Council, leading to a scuffle between the party and the BJP MLAs.
JD(S) President and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda said he was shocked to hear about Dharmegowda’s death. “He was a calm and decent man,” he said in a tweet. “This is a loss for our state. May god grant strength to the bereaved family.”
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy termed the incident a “political murder”, reported ANI. “The truth should come out as soon as possible about who is responsible for his death,” he said.
Congress’ Karnataka unit President DK Shivakumar offered his condolences and said that the incident was a shocking one.
Bharatiya Janata Party National General Secretary and Chikkamagaluru MLA CT Ravi expressed shock at the demise of the JD(S) leader. “The day of the council meeting, I was in Chennai,” Ravi, who is also a minister in the state Cabinet, said. “Later I spoke to him over the phone about the incident, but he did not look disturbed by the turn of events in the Council.”
Dharmegowda is survived by his wife Mamatha, son Sonal SD and daughter Saloni SD.
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