BENGALURU: In what friends describe as a bizarre tactic employed to boost one’s social media profile, Pratham, winner of Bigg Boss Kannada (Season 4), went live on Facebook late on Thursday and recorded himself consuming pills. His friends and the police have described the incident as a ‘drama’ to seek publicity.
According to police sources, Pratham had consumed two sleeping pills in his Nagarbhavi flat. His friends who saw the video early on Wednesday morning, rushed to his flat and shifted him to a private hospital.
Pratham had live streamed on Facebook claiming that he was being harassed by his friend Lokesh and that this was the main reason for him killing himself.
On Tuesday night, Pratham had a fight with Lokesh near Sunkadakatte where he allegedly assaulted the latter. A complaint was filed by Lokesh in Basaveshwaranagar police station. Police said that the duo had fought over a Facebook post.
According to Lokesh, Pratham was just trying to seek publicity. “He had challenged me that he would draw more attention to his Facebook post after many people reacted on Facebook when I posted an audio opposing his views,” he said. Lokesh works in the film industry and has written songs for a movie in which Pratham has played a role. Police said that they have filed a non-cognizable offence case in Basaveshwaranagar police station and are waiting to register Pratham’s statement.
Police officials, who were on night shift, were just about to head home in the morning when the incident came to light.
A police source said, “The incident came to light from the media around 8am and we started to find out where Pratham was admitted. We called a few of his friends who misguided us saying that he was in a lodge near Majestic. It later came to our notice that he was admitted in a private hospital.”