Bengaluru: A woman who had accused BJP leader and former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa of sexually abusing her 17-year-old daughter died at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Sunday night.

According to senior counsel S. Balan, the woman had scheduled an appointment to meet him on Monday, May 27. However, the 53-year-old woman passed away on Sunday, May 26. Balan described the death as suspicious and insisted that the police ensure a post mortem is conducted. “She spoke to me and said her lawyer was not helping her. She wanted to see if I could pursue the case on her behalf. She was supposed to get all the documents related to the case and meet me at 5:30 PM. But in the afternoon, I was informed that she had died. I was also told that her body was taken out of the hospital’s back door. There is something suspicious, and a post mortem has to be done. This is the state’s duty,” Balan told the media.

On March 14, the woman registered a First Information Report (FIR) under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at a city police station, alleging her minor daughter was sexually abused during a visit to B.S. Yediyurappa’s residence on February 2, where they had sought assistance in a rape case. According to the complaint, her daughter was allegedly raped by a relative in 2015, and the case is currently in the trial stage.

Yediyurappa has denied the allegations.

The Karnataka government ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the case allegedly involving Yediyurappa. So far, the CID has recorded the statements of the victim and her mother under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

According to the police, the woman, a cancer patient, was admitted to the hospital after she complained of breathing issues. Media reports, quoting a police officer, stated that the woman passed away while doctors were preparing to treat her in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She is survived by her daughter and a son. The woman had separated from her husband, who reportedly did not support her in pursuing the case. The officer also noted that the woman had been diagnosed with lung cancer in the past and was undergoing treatment.