BELAGAVI: The three accused in connection with the suicide of an SDA Rudresh Yadavannavar (35), who hanged himself in the Belagavi tahsildar's office nine days ago, were granted anticipatory bail by a local court on Thursday after the police failed to arrest any of them.
Hours before his death, Yadavannavar had written in the official WhatsApp group of the tahsildar's office that Belagavi tahsildar Basavaraj Nagaral, PA of minister Laxmi Hebbalkar Somu Dodwadi and FDA in the tahsildar office Ashok Kabbaliger were directly responsible. But the police did not make serious attempts to arrest any of the three accused and allowed them to go scot-free which eventually helped them get anticipatory bail.
"We faced a lot of injustice in our office and everyone should fight unitedly against it," read another post by Yadavannavar in the same WhatsApp group which turned viral after his death.
Sources said his messages in the official WhatsApp group were the result of harassment he had suffered from the three accused which eventually forced him to take the extreme step.
Three days ago, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, also MP of Belagavi, said the government had been protecting the accused by not arresting them. The police should have arrested all the accused as it had come to light that the trio was behind the death. He alleged that the three harassed Yadavannavar mentally for money and made him end his life in frustration.
The MP questioned why the tahsildar and PA of the minister absconded if they had not done anything wrong. He alleged that the PA exerted pressure on Yadavannavar at the behest of the minister and he could not be taken out of this case.
Shettar said it had not been possible for the police to conduct a fair investigation into the case only due to pressure from political heavyweights.