Tearful farewell to Padmapriya

Udupi, Jun 17 (UNI) The body of Padmapriya, wife of Udupi BJP MLA K Raghupathy Bhat, who allegedly committed suicide in a Delhi apartment after she went missing from her residence here last week, was cremated this afternoon.

Earlier, the body was sent by air to Mangalore from Bangalore after it was brought from New Delhi last night.

Mr Bhat and his two minor sons Rohan and Rahul lit the pyre. At one stage, Mr Bhat also fainted at the cremation ground.

BJP MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik, party's Byndoor MLA Laxminaraya, BJP MP from Udupi Manorama Madhwaraj, former MP from Udupi and Congress leader Vinaykumar Sorake, P Shakunthala Shetty and Fr. Mathew Vas, the priest of Mother of Sorrows Church, Udupi, were among those who visited Mr Bhat's house after the body was brought home.

Padmapriya's mother, Prema Rao, who fell ill after hearing about her daughter's death was brought in an an ambulance.

A large number of well-wishers and BJP workers gathered at Karambally, home of Mr Bhat, to receive the body.

Earlier, Mr Ramesh Bagitthaya, elder brother of Mr Bhat who accompanied the body along with the MLA from Delhi, said there were no differences between the husband and wife as reported in the media.

Padmapriya, who was missing from her house from June 11 was found hanging from the ceiling in a flat in Dwaraka on June 15 night when the locked door was broken open by the police team in the presence of the Delhi police.

Meanwhile, police refused to confirm whether Atul Kumar, a friend of Mr Bhat who helped Padmapriya to reach New Delhi, was arrested by the Delhi police or not.

He is still in Delhi 'cooperating' with the police in the investigations. Three teams of Karnataka police one each from Mangalore, Udupi and Bangalore, are jointly working with the Delhi police in the investigations.

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