Five arrested in contractor Sachin Panchal’s death case

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), probing the death of contractor, Sachin Panchal, who allegedly ended his life in Bidar on December 26 last year, arrested five persons, including the prime accused Rajkumar Kapnoor, a former member of the Kalaburagi Mahanagara Palike, and reportedly a follower of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, Priyank Kharge, on Friday.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), probing the death of contractor, Sachin Panchal, who allegedly ended his life in Bidar on December 26 last year, arrested five persons, including the prime accused Rajkumar Kapnoor, a former member of the Kalaburagi Mahanagara Palike, and reportedly a follower of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, Priyank Kharge, on Friday.

Mr. Kapnoor has been listed as accused no. 1; the others arrested are Nandkumar Nagabhujange, Gorakhnath Sajjan Chinchansur, Ramangouda Patil, and Satish Ratnakar. Their names figure in the FIR registered against nine accused for abetment to suicide of the contractor. The deceased had left behind a seven-page-long death note blaming eight people for his death.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has been demanding the resignation of Mr. Kharge and that the probe must include him. However, the government has rejected these demands, saying the deceased hasn’t blamed the Minister for his death.

Mr. Kharge had written to the Chief Minister seeking a CID probe, even as BJP demanded that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Meanwhile, BJP had also criticised the delay in the arrest of the accused in the case.

The CID probing the case had served notices on all the accused in the case to appear before it for questioning in Bidar on Friday.

Of the nine accused, five turned up and the remaining four did not. The five who presented themselves for questioning were grilled for several hours at the Bidar Railway Police Station, where the FIR was first registered and were arrested Friday evening. They will now be brought to Bengaluru for further interrogation, sources said. 

(Those having suicidal tendencies can seek help from Arogya Sahayavani Ph.: 104)