Karnataka ex-CM BS Yediyurappa's granddaughter dies by suicide
BENGALURU: Former chief minister and BJP senior leader BS Yediyurappa’s granddaughter — Dr Soundarya — allegedly died by suicide on Friday. Her body was found hanging at her upscale apartment in Vasanth Nagar in the city.
Daughter of Yediyurappa’s eldest daughter Padmavathi and Virupakshappa Yamakanamardi, Soundarya was working as Assistant Professor, Surgery at the Bowring Hospital. She married Dr Neeraj S, a radiologist at MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, in 2018. The couple has an eight-month-old son.
According to sources, Soundarya was reportedly suffering from postpartum depression and that could be the reason behind her suicide.
Soundarya’s last rites were performed at Neeraj’s Abbigere farmhouse in Soladevanahalli. Dr KV Sathish, one of the forensic doctors who conducted the autopsy on Soundarya at the Bowring Hospital, told the media there was a mark on Soundarya’s neck. “A team of three doctors conducted the postmortem. The report has been submitted to the tahsildar,” he said.
‘Soundarya was polite’
According to sources, Neeraj had left for duty in the morning on Friday. He was alerted by the house help, who called him after Soundarya didn’t open her bedroom door. Neeraj called his wife on her phone but there was no response. He rushed home and found Soundarya hanging from the ceiling fan. He took her to a private hospital where the doctors declared her to have been brought dead.
The body was then taken to Bowring Hospital for postmortem. The reason behind her alleged suicide is yet to be ascertained. “Soundarya was polite and unassuming with her colleagues, though she used to get a lot of attention because of her grandfather. Dr Neeraj is also known to be humble,” said sources on condition of anonymity.
The jurisdictional High Grounds police, meanwhile, registered a case of unnatural death in the absence of any complaint or a suicide note. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke to Yediyurappa over the phone and conveyed their condolences.
(If you are having thoughts of suicide or are in emotional distress, help is available. You can get in touch with the SAHAI helpline at 080-25497777, open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 10pm. Call on 104 Arogya Sahayavani, which is available 24/7).