Humiliated by his mock funeral, local body chief commits suicide

President of a gram panchayat in Dharwad district in north Karnataka committed suicide reportedly due to the humiliation he sufferred after his political rivals took out his mock funeral procession.

President of Yaraguppi gram panchayat in Dharwad district Ninganagouda Benakanahalli died due to consuming poison soon after a few gram panchayat members, who were protesting against misappropriation of funds, conducted a mock funeral of the gram panchayat president.

After close associates of the gram panchayat president alleged that Benakanahalli had taken the extreme step after the humiliation caused to him, the police booked cases against a total of 59 persons including former MLA C S Shivalli.

Meanwhile, enraged by the suicide, a few supporters of Benakanahalli vandalized two houses belonging to Shivalli and his relatives in the Yaraguppi village and staged a protest demanding the arrest of persons responsible for the gram panchayat president’s suicide.
Senior JD (U) leader and MLC Basavaraj Bommai has urged the Government to hand over the investigation into the death of the gram panchayat president to the Corps of Detective (CoD) and bring the culprits to book.