Mangaluru: BJP staged a roadblock protest in Mangaluru on Friday, demanding the resignation of Minister Priyank Kharge following the alleged suicide of a contractor. The protestors accused the government of negligence and demanded accountability for the incident.

The protest, which caused disruptions to traffic, ended with the police detaining several BJP workers.

Prominent leaders, including MLA Vedavyas Kamath, former MLC Monappa Bhandari, BJP leaders Jagadish Shenava, Youth Morcha President Nandan Mallya, and Kavitha Sanil, participated in the demonstration.

Civil contractor Sachin Panchal allegedly died by suicide by lying before a moving train in Bidar district on December 26. In his suicide note, he alleged that Raju Kapanur, a close associate of Kharge, had issued death threats demanding Rs 1 crore for awarding a contract.

Initially, a case was registered at the Railway Police Station but following public outcry and demands for a thorough investigation, the state government transferred the case to the CID.