Tehsildar’s office in Belagavi locked after official’s death | Latest news India

Amid a row over the alleged suicide of an official in the Belagavi tehsildar office, police temporarily sealed off the office on Thursday morning after the three people, mentioned in the deceased’s suicide note, reportedly went missing, an officer said. The opposition also staged protests near the deputy commissioner’s office demanding the resignation of minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar.

A 35-year-old second division assistant (SDA) at the tehsildar office in Belagavi was found dead at the office in Risaldar Galli on Tuesday morning. He reportedly left messages on social media accusing three people including tehsildar Basavaraj Nagaral, Ashok Kabbaligar and a person identified as Somu, a PA allegedly associated with Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar.

An officer, on condition of anonymity, said: “After police found that the three people mentioned in the deceased’s suicide note were missing, a search operation was launched for them on Thursday. The tehsildar office was also closed for a short period but was reopened at 11.30 am to minimize inconvenience to the public.” The officer further said that Nagaral and Kabbanagi had allegedly disappeared after filing an FIR with Khadebazar police.

On Monday evening, SDA reportedly died by suicide in the tehsildar’s office, citing unbearable mental agony inflicted by his superiors and Somu Doddawad, who is said to be one of Hebbalkar’s PAs.

Before the suicide, the deceased shared a purported video message on the office’s official WhatsApp group, in which he named Nagaral, Kabbanagi and Doddawad as the reason behind his decision. HT was unable to verify the veracity of the video.

The police also recovered a handwritten note from the deceased’s pocket, repeating his allegations, explicitly mentioning Doddawad’s role in pressuring him to perform illegal tasks. Quoting the note, police said the deceased allegedly paid Doddawad ₹2 lakh in exchange for a more favorable office position, in the hope of securing a role that offered greater earning potential.

The transaction reportedly took place near a Ganapati temple near Minister Hebbalkar’s district. However, after failing to secure the position, the deceased asked for his money back but faced escalating pressure from Doddawad, who eventually arranged for his transfer to Savadatti town as part of the Savadatti Yallamma temple trust, a measure the official reportedly opposed.

Amid the row over the official’s death, leaders of Belagavi BJP and JD(S) held a protest on Thursday demanding Hebbalkar’s resignation.

The BJP also called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, citing concerns over evidence tampering, particularly pointing to the disappearance of the deceased’s phone.

Sanjay Patil, BJP president of Belagavi district (rural), said, “The minister is trying to protect the three accused named by the official before his death. We demand a CBI inquiry into the matter.”

Responding to the allegations, Hebbalkar stated that she had no direct knowledge of Doddawad’s actions. The minister said: “As a minister, people can misuse my name. I am not responsible.”