Karnataka's agriculture official attempts suicide over 'harassment' by superiors

KALABURAGI: An office superintendent with the agriculture department allegedly attempted to die by suicide last Saturday, following what he claimed as harassment by his superiors. The incident came to light on Tuesday in Kalaburagi.
According to sources, he tried to commit suicide by consuming sleeping pills, but was admitted to a local hospital in time and was said to be out of danger.
Dharmaraj B Khainur - who hails from Keratagi village in Sindagi taluk, Vijayapura district - was posted in Jewargi.
In a letter and a video clip, Khainur alleged that agriculture department joint director Samad Patel, additional director Venkata Ramareddy, and a distributor called Gupta had collected a bribe of Rs 2.75 lakh from him in 2023 to get his transfer order revised for a posting in Vijayapura district, instead of Karkala in Udupi.
"Now, they are demanding Rs 2 lakh in the name of agriculture minister [N Cheluvarayaswamy] and his personal secretary Prabhakar and torturing me mentally," he said in the letter and the video clip.
He also alleged that Patel was involved in scams over the Krishi Bhagya and other welfare schemes run by the state govt.
"He has been misguiding Lingayat employees like me to favour his distributors and organisations. His mobile should be retrieved to expose the truth, and a polygraph test should be conducted on him," he said.
His note further said that unable to bear this torture and harassment, he was taking the extreme step.
Sources said he had also sent similar letters to governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot and CM Siddaramaiah.
Meanwhile, minister Cheluvarayaswamy has issued a clarification in Bengaluru, saying Khainur was serving in the same post for more than five years.
"As there were many complaints against him, he was transferred to Karkala in Udupi district in 2023. But instead of joining duty in Karkala, he tried to pressurise the govt into transferring him to Vijayapura. Since the govt did not yield to his pressure, he tried to blackmail us," the minister claimed.
Terming the attempted suicide bid a move to gain sympathy, Patil said: "Khainur had taken a bribe from one of his relatives, who lodged a complaint with the headquarters in Bengaluru, supported by evidence. Based on the complaint, he was transferred to Karkala. Now he is trying to gain sympathy and continue at the same place. He had done the same while he was in Shahapur about 10 years ago."
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)