A man who was earlier arrested on charges of making comments about Congress MLA AS Ponnanna died by suicide in Karnataka. It is alleged that the man was unable to bear the humiliation of his arrest. BJP claims the man was a party worker. Charges were filed against the man as he was the admin of the WhatsApp group where the comment appeared. Based on a complaint by Congress worker Tennera Maina, the police registered an FIR against three individuals, including Vinay. Ponnanna serves as the Legal Advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.