Gadag woman kills self, but colleagues suspect murder

While the police see it as a suicide, members of the Karnataka State Road Transport Employees’ Union suspect murder. They say they will write to Home and Transport Minister R Ashoka, seeking an investigation into the incident.

Roopa, who hails from Nargund in Gadag, was undergoing training as a technical worker, category-B at BMTC’s depot number 19 in Electronics City and has had no records of bad behaviour.

According to some of Roopa’s colleagues, who are shocked by her death, the incident took place on Thursday night, but came to light only on Friday.

“We learnt about the incident only much later. The post mortem was performed at the Victoria Hospital on Friday and the body was sent to her home town on Saturday,” Revappa, president of Karnataka State Road Transport Employees’ Union, said.

Although the police have registered a case of unnatural death and are waiting for the post mortem report, due either on Monday or Tuesday, the union strongly feels that Roopa was murdered and is demanding further investigation.

The police, however, claim that there was nothing at the spot that could make them believe that it was a murder. Even her death note said: “Mom, I am sorry. I am fully responsible for my death.”

‘No external force’

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Parappana Agrahara station Police Inspector, V K Vasudeva, said: “We suspect that the girl consumed sleeping pills, as there was no trace of use of poison or any evidence of an external force compelling her to end her life.”

Disagreeing with the assessment, Revappa said: “When people rushed to the spot after learning about Roopa’s death, they found that the door was open, leaving enough doubts in our minds. Moreover, Roopa, from what I’ve heard, was not somebody who had reasons to commit suicide.”

The union is also investigating the case within its own limitations.

“We will speak to Roopa’s family and find out if there was any reason at all for her to take the extreme step,” one of the union representatives said.

KSRTC driver assaulted

Allalappa, a KSRTC driver, was attacked by a private bus driver in Hosur, Tamil Nadu on
Sunday.

Sources in the KSRTC said  the victim is being treated a local hospital. “We have registered a case in Hosur”.

The cause for the quarrel, they said, was competition between the buses.

“Our driver had parked the vehicle  a little ahead of the private bus and the driver of a private bus got upset over that and attacked our driver,” sources claimed.