Opposition demands CBI probe
IAS officer DK Ravi was found dead at his official residence in Bengaluru. This incident however sparked protests in the IT hub and Kolar as demands for a CBI probe into his death poured in from all quarters including the Opposition party on March 17, 2015. People called for a shutdown in Kolar district of Karnataka, following the young officer’s death. Kolar Police have deployed additional personnel to prevent the lockdown called by some political and allied organizations as a mark of respect for Ravi.
The Opposition parties in Karnataka made a strong demand for a CBI inquiry into the death of IAS officer DK Ravi since they alleged that it was a case of murder and not suicide as claimed by the police.
IAS Officer Ravi, who had locked horns with the sand and land mafia, was found dead in his official residence on March 16, 2015. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Reddi had allegedly claimed that forensic and medical evidence hinted that Ravi’s death was prima facie a case of suicide. CP Reddi added that a thorough investigation was on and warned people against jumping to any conclusion.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned Ravi’s death and urged the Karnataka government to come out with the facts that led to his ‘shocking’ demise.
The Chief Minister should hand over the case to the CBI since it appears to be a case of murder instead of suicide as claimed by the police, said BJP leader and Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar in the State Assembly.
Shettar claimed that the IAS officer had been receiving threat calls from influential and powerful builders and underworld dons since he had taken some tough decisions against them. Shettar also claimed that the incident raises suspicion about the nexus between developers and politicians. The government should treat this case as an organised crime, he said.
The government should collect all the call details of the deceased IAS officer to know the truth behind his death and also take steps to prevent destruction of evidence and clues pertaining to the incident, the former CM said. The state government has failed in protecting honest officials, he said.
Ravi, a 2009 batch IAS officer, who had earned a reputation for being upright, had recently taken over as joint commissioner of Commercial Taxes. He was chasing builders in the city who had been evading taxes for years, claimed of his colleagues while speaking to some sections of the media on condition of anonymity. The same source also claimed that Ravi had collected more than Rs 100 crore in outstanding tax dues from the builders.
The 35-year-old had also taken on the sand mafia as Deputy Commissioner of Kolar District. Union Law Minister Sadananda Gowda too urged the Karnataka Government to look into the matter. Everybody suspects that it is a cold blooded murder. We request the State Government to look into it. If they need help from the Centre or want the CBI to investigate, we will pressurise the home ministry on this, claimed Gowda. Senior BJP leader Suresh Kumar said that people are already suspecting that the politicians and builders are related to this incident. This incident has shocked the people of the state and the government should take appropriate action to send right message to people and honest officers, he added.
Kumar’s colleague and Former Home Minister R Ashoka said since people are demanding that the case be handed over to the CBI, the Chief Minister should honour their demand. Ashoka flayed City Police Commissioner Reddi for terming the incident as a prima facie case of suicide without carrying out any investigation.
This only raises suspicion that the government is trying to bury the case and cover the crime of some influential and powerful people, he said.
Another Former CM and State Janata Dal (Secular) President HD Kumaraswamy also demanded a CBI enquiry. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah, however, said the city police is capable of investigating the IAS officer’s death and added that it remained to be seen if the case will be referred to investigating agencies.
Social Activist Nutan Thakur of Lucknow too appealed for a thorough investigation into his death terming his death as “suspicious”.
The way Ravi’s body has been found, the whole matter is obviously suspicious. The entire case should be thoroughly investigated. He took on the sand mafia and certain land mafias, said Thakur. I can very well understand how such an officer, who fights against corruption, is made to face many hurdles. They are threatened and all kinds of efforts are made to stop them. The unauthorised work involve huge amount of money. That’s why the culprits make all kinds of efforts to stop them, she added.
IPS officer Amitabh Thakur asked Bengaluru Police to look into the case with “utmost seriousness”. Now that such a large number of officers are losing the confidence of the people, the mysterious death of Ravi is a very sad and grave incident and it needs to be looked into very properly and in complete depth. He requested the Bengaluru Police to take up the matter very seriously and to unearth all the facts behind the death,” Thakur.
It is a reality today that after the political mafia nexus, the officers many a times are under intense pressure and this leads to many kinds of situations, where officers are murdered in the way of their duty. Hence Ravi’s death needs to be taken with utmost seriousness, he added.
