The younger son of a former Congress corporator from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike was discovered deceased at his residence. The Opposition BJP has claimed that he was a BBMP contractor and was distressed due to outstanding bills and bribery demands, but his father has refuted these allegations.
The demise of Gautham, aged 29, residing in Attiguppe within Bengaluru's Chandra Layout, and being the son of Congress leader K Doddanna, came to light on Thursday afternoon. Family members had to forcibly enter his room after he didn't respond to their calls, as stated in the police report.
According to Doddanna, Gautham went to his room after lunch on Wednesday and hadn't come out since. With Gautham not responding to repeated knocks on Thursday, his family broke open the door, revealing his lifeless body inside the room.
Doddanna also mentioned in the complaint that Gautham had been grappling with depression for some months, but he hadn't confided in anyone. The ex-corporator was uncertain about the exact cause of the death.
Laxman B Nimbargi, the Deputy Commissioner of Police for the west zone, indicated that an investigation was initiated into the unnatural death.
BJP attacks Congress
Promptly, the BJP launched an attack on the ruling government, alleging that Gautham was indeed a contractor. BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal conveyed on a social media platform, previously known as Twitter, "Siddaramaiah's new offering for Karnataka Citizens - 'Atmahatya Bhagya.' Contractor Gautam committed suicide in Bengaluru. Contractors had approached the Governor, accusing the 'Brother' of demanding a 15% bribe for bill settlement. Siddaramaiah and his administration are preoccupied with amassing funds for the Loksabha Elections. Karnataka has transformed into an ATM for the Congress High Command."
Former MLA C T Ravi echoed similar claims, asserting that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar sought a 15% commission from contractors. "The Congress government in Karnataka has introduced the 'Suicide Bhagya' for Contractors. BBMP contractor Shri Gautam took his own life after facing delays in receiving payment for his executed work. Recently, BBMP contractors had accused the Deputy Chief Minister of demanding a 15% cut to clear pending payments. The corrupt Congress is not solely devastating Suvarna Karnataka but also claiming lives in the process," he posted on Twitter.
Contradicting these allegations, Doddanna told The Indian Express that Gautham was neither a contractor nor held any license. He clarified, "He was our youngest child, and we were arranging his marriage. He was managing a poultry farm and had no involvement in contracting. They are exploiting my son's death for political reasons."
