BELAGAVI: The investigation into the suspicious suicide of Second Division Assistant (SDA) Rudresh Yadavannavar at the tahsildar’s office in Belagavi is uncovering increasingly murky details.
A recording of a recent phone call between Yadavannavar and a reporter has gone viral on social media. In the call, Yadavannavar tells the reporter that he paid a Rs 2 lakh bribe to Belagavi Tahsildar Basaraj Nagral through Somu Dadawadi, one of the personal assistants to Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, in order to continue his posting as SDA at the Belagavi tahsildar’s office.
Yadavannavar also claims that Somu demanded an additional Rs 50,000 commission for himself to facilitate the arrangement. Frustrated by the rising corruption at the tahsildar’s office, Yadavannavar reportedly asked the reporter for help in stopping his transfer.
Sources indicate that, before his death, attempts were being made at the tahsildar’s office to illegally change the ownership of a 15-acre government plot of land. Additionally, some officials were eyeing properties whose owners were deceased and had no legal heirs. These properties, located in KK Koppa, Halaga, and other areas on the outskirts of Belagavi, were targeted for illegal transfer.
Yadavannavar had refused to cooperate with his superiors in these illicit activities, which is said to have led to his transfer to Saudatti on the day he died by suicide, according to sources.
Hebbalkar Calls for Thorough Probe
On Wednesday, Laxmi Hebbalkar expressed her condolences over Yadavannavar's death, stating that while she had never met him personally, it was common for people in high positions like hers to have multiple personal assistants managing constituency work.
“As the police have already begun their inquiry, I will not comment further,” she said. “I mourn Yadavannavar’s death and have contacted higher officials, urging them to thoroughly investigate the case to uncover the truth. In the viral audio recording, Rudresh himself denied my involvement in the matter of the money transfer, yet the BJP continues to make unfounded accusations against me.”