IAS officer death: Family, Opp insist on CBI inquiry

Parents of D K Ravi protest outside Assembly. (Source: PTI)

The Karnataka Assembly remained disrupted for the second consecutive day on Wednesday with the Opposition BJP and JD(S) demanding a CBI probe into the death of IAS officer D K Ravi on March 16, and the ruling Congress insisting on a CID probe.
The Opposition, which staged an overnight protest at the Assembly on Tuesday, continued with the agitation on Wednesday even as Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held meetings with senior police officials and ministers to chart out a course of action to restore normalcy on Thursday.

The state government and the police version of the IAS officer committing suicide due to “personal reasons” has not been accepted by members of Ravi’s family, the opposition and a vast section of the public. The general notion is that the IAS officer’s death is linked to the action he had initiated against real estate and other companies as additional commissioner of commercial tax in the last four months.

The government is hoping that the CID will soon provide proof of the personal reasons that forced the IAS officer to take the extreme step.

Sources familiar with the investigation said the CID after going through the call details of Ravi over the past few months has found a relationship which could be a subject of investigation. “There is a moral dilemma in revealing the personal reasons for the suicide. It could demoralise many people as it involves personal issues. Investigators have got some details on it,” a source said.

Meanwhile, pressure on the government to hand over the case to the CBI has mounted with Ravi’s father Kariyappa, mother Gowramma, brother Ramesh and father-in-law Hanumantharayappa protesting before Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday and demanding a probe by the central agency.

“My son was not one who would commit suicide. He was not a coward. He worked very hard to get where he did,” said Gowramma. “My brother died due to political pressure. We want a CBI probe. We want justice,” said Ramesh.

The IAS officer’s father-in-law also rejected reports that ties were strained between his and Ravi’s families in recent times. He claimed that Ravi had spoken of being threatened by people he had acted against. He blamed a Congress MLA, Narayanaswamy, for lobbying on behalf of a real estate firm Confident Group to get his son-in-law transferred out of Kolar last year.

“Somebody called him on his phone from Gulbarga on Monday morning and asked him be at the office at 11 am. That was the last call he received,” said Hanumantharayappa, while demanding a CBI probe in Ravi’s death.

He said: “I will cooperate with any investigation including the CBI. I want to know the truth.”

Source:: Indian Express