BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s political secretary and relative N R Santhosh attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills at his Dollar’s Colony residence on Friday evening. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital where he is undergoing treatment in the ICU. It is suspected that depression may have driven him to the edge, though the exact reason was not i mmediately known.
CM visits political secretary in hospital
Soon after learning about the incident, CM Yediyurappa rushed to the hospital and enquired about Santhosh’s health condition with the doctors.Speaking to reporters, Yediyurappa said, “I had met him on Friday morning and we walked together for 45 minutes. Even on Thursday, he had come to a wedding and seemed normal. I don’t know why he took such a step”.
A senior police officer, quoting Santhosh’s family, said the incident took place around 7.30 pm. “According to his family members, he was alone in his room on the first floor. His wife had seen him holding a book in the room a few minutes before he was found unconscious on the bed. The family members immediately rushed him to the nearby M S Ramaiah Hospital. He is undergoing treatment in the ICU,” the officer said.
Initial investigations have revealed that Santhosh had consumed 12 pills in a bid to take his own life. “Family members said that he was in depression for the last few months and was not talking much to anyone. Also, he had not disclosed whether he was facing any problem,” the officer added.Santhosh (32) is the grandson of Yediyurappa’s sister and was actively involved with the ABVP and the RSS.
When the rebel MLAs from the H D Kumaraswamy-led JDS-Congress coalition government resigned, Santhosh reportedly arranged flights, booked tickets for the rebels in Mumbai and Delhi and made arrangements for their stay there. He was always associated with Yediyurappa even when the latter had quit BJP and started the KJP. He is a BE graduate from Kalpataru Institute of Technology in Tiptur and hails from Nonavinakere in Tumakuru district. He was appointed as CM’s political secretary on May 28.
A case has been registered at Sadashivanagar police station.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)