"Vultures...": Congress MLA Caught In Bengaluru Suicide Row Slams BJP

Karnataka Congress MLA AS Ponnanna - under fire from the BJP after the death by suicide of functionary Vinay Somaia - has said he never met the opposition party worker. Mr Ponnanna, the legal advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, also called the BJP "vultures politicising deaths".

"You know the BJP... this does not surprise me. They are like vultures. Where there is death, they do not bother to show sensitivity to the family... they will jump in, hoist their flag, and politicise the issue. So what they want is not relevant," Mr Ponnanna told NDTV Friday afternoon.

"I have already expressed my anguish and support to the family... but I never spoke to him (Mr Somaia) and I never met him. I never had any conversation with him... ever" he told NDTV.

The only contact, he claimed, was an audio message he received during the 'Kattemadu incident' in Kodagu district in December last year, in which authorities of a local temple allegedly prevented devotees in traditional attire from entering the premises.

Mr Somaia, he claimed, demanded the message "be deleted from all groups". Mr Ponnanna said that when he told him he didn't have such authority, "he sent me a very demeaning message".

"This is something I came to know much later... that it is the same person. Other than that, I don't know (him). In fact, if I had seen him I wouldn't recognise him," he told NDTV.

Vinay Somaia Suicide

Vinay Somaia, 35, was found dead in his office in Benglauru's Nagawara area earlier today.

In a note he alleged the police case against him - which he said had driven him to take his own life - was politically motivated, and that the case had been engineered by a Congress leader.

Mr Somaia was the administrator of a WhatsApp group in which a derogatory post about Mr Ponnanna was shared. A police case was subsequently filed and Mr Somaia was among those arrested. He was then released on bail and secured a court stay on further investigations.

READ | Bengaluru Man Dies By Suicide, Blames Congress In Suicide Note

However, in his note he alleged harassment from the cops and political figures. He then asked for 'forgiveness' and calling on the BJP's state unit to help his mother, wife, and daughter.

Home Minister G Parameshwara promised a high-level probe into the death.

Speaking to NDTV, Mr Ponnanna cast doubt on claims the police had harassed Mr Somaia after the court stay, and said it was, in fact, BJP leaders "interfering with investigation of the suicide".

"After the stay, is it even acceptable to say the police went (to harass Mr Somaia)? And the case registered against him was very simple... I think, some IT offense. I must tell you this..."

"BJP leaders, whom I will name at the appropriate time, are interfering with investigation. They are putting pressure on the police to investigate in a particular manner..." he claimed to NDTV.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.