Bangalore University ex-official found dead, wife unconscious

A retired assistant registrar of Bangalore University was found dead in his Basaveshwaranagar residence. His wife was found unconscious and is undergoing treatment, police said.

Preliminary investigation indicated at the possibility that  Shanthakumar, 65, committed suicide suspecting that he had murdered his wife Prathima in a fit of anger. The police, however, were not ruling out other angles including murder.

The man was found hanging from the ceiling fan in the couple’s bedroom. Prathima was lying unconscious in the hall. Her head was injured, and there were blood stains on the wall of the hall, police said.

Police suspect that the couple may have quarrelled on Saturday night, and the man, reportedly drunk, banged his wife’s head against the wall. When she fell unconscious, he got scared and hanged himself with a nylon rope.

Prathima was to take a 4 am flight to the US on Sunday, to be with her daughter. She was later shifted to Nimhans. Doctors said she was out of danger. Her son, photographer Rakshit, has been taking care of her. Shanthakumar’s body was taken to Victoria Hospital, where a post-mortem would be conducted after his daughter’s arrival from the US.

The couple’s maid reported the incident to neighbours on Sunday morning. The couple had been married for over 30 years.

Prathima was the owner of a beauty parlour in Bhashayam Circle.