In a shocking incident, former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's granddaughter Dr Soundarya V Y was found hanging at her city residence here on Friday, with the police suspecting it to be a case of suicide.
Soundarya was the daughter of the BJP leader's daughter Padmavathi. She was married to Dr Neeraj S, who works in the same hospital where she was employed, in 2018. The duo lived with their baby in an upscale apartment near Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru.
On Friday morning, Neeraj left for duty while she was home at their Vasant Nagar residence in Bengaluru. The matter came to light when the maid came to the house and knocked on the door repeatedly but in vain. She informed Dr Neeraj, who too called on his wife's phone but there was no response, the police said, adding, the door was then opened by force.
Postpartum depression?
According to reports, Soundarya, who was in her early thirties, had been suffering from postpartum depression. In an interview with India Today, state Home Minister Araga Dnyanendra said that the doctor had been battling with postpartum depression since the birth of her six-month-old child and that her family knew about it. Dnyanendra said that there was "no question" about it and also revealed that Yediyurappa himself had brought her to live at his place several times in the past few months to ensure she was doing fine.
Following news about the incident, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, some ministers and senior BJP functionaries rushed to Yediyurappa's house to console the bereaved family members, BJP sources said. According to Dnyanendra, who is a close family friend, Soundarya's death has left the 78-year-old Yediyurappa deeply bereaved.
The incident comes barely six months after BS Yediyurappa resigned from the post of Chief Minister of Karnataka after reports that the party's high command was unhappy with his performance in July last year. Following the news of Dr Soundarya's death, tributes and condolences poured in from all sections of politicians.
(With inputs from PTI)
