Calls drove Shastri to end life, charges his wife

A day after 43-year-old Shyama Prasad Shastri, younger brother of the businessman arrested for allegedly blackmailing Raghaveshwara Bharati Swami of Ramachandrapura Math, died after allegedly shooting himself, his wife charged that her husband had received calls from followers of the seer.

In a complaint to the Puttur town police on Sunday, Shastri’s wife Sandhya Laxmi stated he had been receiving calls for the last few days from followers of the swami.

These calls drove Shastri to shoot himself, she alleged. The Puttur police have registered a case under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code against unidentified persons who are suspected to be followers of the seer.

Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Sharanappa S.D. told The Hindu that the police were inquiring into phone records to trace those who called Shastri in the days preceding his death.

According to the police, on Sunday afternoon Shastri was in the house along with his wife Ms. Laxmi, younger sister and her husband. After a while, when he was alone, the police believe that Shastri shot himself with his licensed firearm.

He was in a critical state when he was brought to a private hospital here with a gunshot injury on the left side of his chest. He succumbed around 6 p.m.

Mr. Sharanapppa said the police had taken the opinion of forensic experts from a private medical college about the injury.

Investigations will also involve sharing inputs with the Honnavar police, who are probing allegations of blackmail made by one of the seer’s followers. The businessman, Shastri’s elder brother, and his wife were arrested by the Honnavar police after the allegations were made. The arrested couple’s daughter had subsequently filed a complaint with the Bangalore police alleging that the seer had sexually harassed her mother.

The All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA), State unit, has demanded that the State government order a probe by the CBI or the CID into the allegations against the seer.