A hotel owner in Belagavi has allegedly died by suicide inside his shop near the old bus stand in the city. According to a report by NDTV, his family cited financial stress and shortage of LPG cylinders as possible reasons.
The deceased, identified as Rama Halluri, was running a hotel called Hanuman Hotel in the area. Police said he was found hanging inside the premises. The hotel had reportedly remained shut for several days.
His son Uday told NDTV that the family was facing financial difficulties and that the business had been affected due to lack of LPG cylinders.
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He said, "Recently, because of shortage of LPG gas, he was facing serious problems. Since he was not getting cylinders, he was planning to use firewood to continue the business."
Uday said he was unsure if there was any harassment from money lenders but confirmed that his father was under stress.
He said, "I am not sure if money lenders were harassing him, but I know he was very stressed about the gas cylinder issue."
Police said the matter is under investigation. A senior police officer said, "It was a small restaurant which depended on LPG cylinders. One cylinder would last around eight days, and there is suspicion of financial stress."
He added, "what exactly led to the man taking this step is part of the investigation."
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has announced an increase in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders. On Monday, the state added 1,000 cylinders to the existing allocation.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa, after meeting gas companies and hotel association representatives in Bengaluru, said the total number of commercial cylinders supplied in the state would be increased to 10,000.
The development comes amid strain on LPG supply, with disruptions reported in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for imports, due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
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