Senior journalist K.N. Reddy, who had worked with several publications and media houses apart from serving as Public Relation Officer in the State-owned Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (GESCOM), is said to have ended his life in a garden near his residence in Kalaburagi on Tuesday evening.
According to his family members and friends and the police, it was, prima facie, a clear case of suicide.
Mr. Reddy is survived by his wife and daughter. The last rites were performed at the Veerashaiva Rudrabhumi near Nehru Gunj here on Wednesday.
“It, prima facie, appears to be a case of suicide. There were cuts on his left arm and left leg which indicates self-hurt by a right-hander. But we will investigate the case from all angles,” Police Commissioner R. Chetan said.
Hailing from Kallur village in Raichur district, the 57-year-old Mr. Reddy was passionate about enhancing green cover in an arid Kalaburagi district.
He collected donations from friends and neighbours and planted thousands of saplings in Kalaburagi city, especially in areas around his residence. He often spent money from his own pocket to water these plants and raise them.
The body was found amid the hundreds of neem trees that he planted and raised at the Rajiv Gandhi Theme Park, a public garden being developed by the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board in Kalaburagi where he walked every morning for two hours.
Mr. Reddy authored the biography of the former Chief Minister J.H. Patel and produced a documentary on Mr. Patel. He also authored the biography of All India Congress Committee president and the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge. However, this work remains unpublished.
After he lost his job at Deccan Chronicle a few years ago, Mr. Reddy opened a school on the outskirts of Raichur. Mr. Reddy, who was ideologically right-leaning, wanted to develop the school into a Gurukul that resembled the ancient system of education.
However, owing to disruptions caused by COVID-19 and the disinterest of people to send their children to his school, he had to close it down.
(Those in distress or having suicidal tendencies can call Arogya Sahayavani on Ph: 104 for help.)
