Daijiworld Media Network – Mysore (SP)

Mysore, Mar 28: P Nagaraj (75), a Congress leader and stalwart of cooperative movement, ended his life by cutting the radial arteries at the wrists of both his hands with a blade on Thursday March 27. The death of Nagaraj, who was a close aide of former chief ministers, Devaraj Aras and Gundu Rao, came as a surprise for many including MLA Tanveer Sait.

Some locals, who saw that a person was sleeping on the steering and blood had oozed out of the car at around 3 pm on Thursday, passed on information to Nazarbad police station.

Nagaraj is survived by wife, a daughter, and two sons. His native place is Dodda Vikkalageri in the city. On Thursday morning, Nagaraj left his home at Siddarthnagar in the city, in his Santro car. He parked his car at the end of the park located on Sanmarga Road in Siddarthnagar, occupied the back seat, and slit the arteries. After lot of blood drained away and he turned too weak, he went to the front seat, and breathed his last, with steering wheel in his hands.

It is said that of late, Nagaraj was facing financial constraints. He had undergone heart surgery last year. His injured finger also needed to be surgically removed because of persisting diabetes. Some close ones felt that these developments would have been the reasons behind his surprising decision to end life.

Nagaraj, who was the director of Mysore City Cooperative Bank since the last 40 years, had been elected as its president seven times. He also had been elected as president of MDCC Bank and Janata Bazar in the past. In 1983, he had been elected as city corporator, and he had worked as the city unit president of Congress some years back.