A 35-year-old BJP worker from Karnataka’s Madikeri allegedly died by suicide in Bengaluru, late on Thursday night.
According to the police, Vinay Somayya was found hanging at his office in Nagawara, shortly after he posted a lengthy suicide note on WhatsApp and Facebook.
The note, which runs over a thousand words, squarely blames a series of political developments and names multiple Congress leaders, accusing them of harassment and pushing him to the edge.
In his suicide note, Vinay claimed that he was made admin of a WhatsApp group called “Kodagu Problems and Suggestions” just five days before a controversial message was posted there.
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Although he denied having anything to do with the message, he said he was held responsible and an FIR was filed against him, painting him as a criminal in the public eye.
He alleged that the FIR was politically motivated and that Congress leader Tenneera Maheena deliberately circulated the details of the case, including his photo, to defame him in Kodagu. Vinay had recently been arrested by the Madikeri Town Police after a complaint was filed against him by Maheena.
Vinay also accused Congress MLA AS Ponnanna of directing the police to continue harassing him and his family even after he secured bail. He claimed that police visited his cousin’s and friends’ homes to look for him the day after he was released, and said that he was falsely linked to instigating Kodava-Gowda tensions through phone calls, which he denied making.
“Please support my family in every way possible, socially and financially. Even if every member contributes just one rupee, it will help secure my wife and daughter’s future. Please ensure that my mother, wife, daughter, and family are not harassed after my death and that all rituals are conducted smoothly,” he wrote.
He thanked BJP leaders like Pratap Simha, KG Bopaiah, Appachu Ranjan, and others who he said supported him when the FIR was first filed.
The police have sent the body for post-mortem and begun a preliminary investigation. While they acknowledged the suicide might have been triggered by the arrest and FIR, they did not comment on the specific allegations made in the note.
BJP state president BY Vijayendra expressed deep sorrow over Vinay’s death and demanded a fair and transparent probe. “Ever since the Congress government came to power, BJP workers have been facing unnecessary harassment,” he said in a statement. He called for strict legal action against those responsible for Vinay’s mental distress.
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