Bengaluru: Mar 18 (DHNS): The State government on Tuesday told the Assembly that based on certain evidence gathered by the police, prima facie it appears IAS officer D K Ravi committed suicide for personal reasons.
The government also summarily rejected the Opposition’s demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and handed over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Thirty-six-year-old Ravi, who was additional commissioner (enforcement) in the commercial taxes department, was found dead on Monday at his apartment near Koramangala here.
Home Minister K J George, who was heckled by the Opposition, said that a special investigation team, which was led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Rohini Katoch Sepat, had reported that prima facie it was a case of suicide.
Soon after the incident came to light on Monday, Police Commissioner M N Reddi had also said that at the outset it looked like a case of suicide.
George said: “The team has also said that it has got hints that the suicide was for personal reasons.”
A BJP MLC said one of the companies which was under the scanner belonged to Home Minister K J George.
He also said that another influential politician wanted Ravi to reduce the Rs 40 crore penalty levied on his firm to Rs 40 lakh.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, too, said that Ravi’s death was prima facie declared as suicide. More details cannot be revealed as the investigation is on, he added. The chief minister also said the government will continue to probe the case to identify the reasons behind his drastic step and will place an interim report of the CID before the Assembly by the end of the ongoing session. The session is scheduled to end by March 31.
Siddaramaiah was also forced to clarify on the sequence of events that took place on Monday as the statement made on the floor of the House by the home minister had certain factual errors.
The Assembly and Council witnessed a heated debate over the issue with the government standing firm on a CID probe, while the combined might of the Opposition, including the BJP and JD(S), demanded a CBI probe as it felt the case was not as simple as was being made out by the government.
Former home minister R Ashoka said the government was trying to cover up the issue and protect those who are responsible for the officer’s death. Only a CBI probe can bring out the truth, he added.
To this, George said: “Our police officers are efficient. It would demoralise them if the probe is handed over to the CBI. The interim report will be placed before the session in 10 days. Let us discuss the report. If you are not satisfied then we can discuss whether we should hand over the probe to the CBI.”
The agitated Opposition refused to vacate the Legislature and began an indefinite all-night protest till the government ceded to their demand.
Leader of the Opposition in the Council K S Eshwarappa said the government was trying to tarnish Ravi’s image and hush up the case by giving it a “love angle”.
Call records, SMSes may hold key to cracking case
Mobile phone call records, hundreds of SMSes and the statements of family members will be crucial in getting to the bottom of IAS officer D K Ravi’s death. A day after the tragic end to the officer’s life, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is probing the sensational case from scratch.
Sources said that a team of doctors who conducted the post mortem at the Victoria Hospital had also indicated that there were no external injuries on the body and that it was a case of suicide. A detailed autopsy report is expected in a couple of days. A special team of the City police had, on Tuesday, seized two mobile phones, an i-pad and several files handled by Ravi in his office.
A senior police officer said that the preliminary details found on the mobile phones and statements from close family members revealed intensely personal problems as the reason for the suicide.
“The family members will have to be further questioned in view of the strong suspicion of personal reasons. Ravi’s office staff and other officials in the Commercial Taxes department have said that he was visibly upset on reaching office. We are also trying to ascertain if there was any call he attended to just before abruptly leaving for his official apartment,” the officer said.
Another senior police officer said that the case would be probed based on the complaint filed by Ravi’s father-in-law Hanumantharayappa with the Madiwala police. On Monday night, Hanumantharayappa filed a complaint, that his daughter Kusuma found that Ravi had not been answering any calls.
“From March 14, my son-in-law and daughter were at my house. On Monday, around 9.30 am, we had breakfast together and Ravi left for office. At around 4.45 pm, my daughter came to me and said Ravi had not been answering calls. She said Ravi’s driver told her that from 11.30 am, he was at his official flat at St John’s Wood Apartment. I left for the apartment alone, while my daughter, along with her cousin, followed me. We entered the house using the duplicate key and found Ravi hanging from the ceiling fan in the bedroom. It was around 6.45 pm,” Hanumantharayappa said in the complaint.
Ravi laid to rest with state honours at native village
D K Ravi, the IAS officer who was found dead mysteriously at his house in Bengaluru on Monday was laid to rest with state honours at his native, Doddakoppalu village in Kunigal taluk on Tuesday.
Thousands of people bid a tearful adieus to Ravi (35), the 2009-batch IAS officer who was serving as Additional Commissioner (Enforcement) of Commercial Taxes Department. It was 7 pm by the time the mortal remains were brought to Doddakoppalu.
The villagers by then had come to know that the State government had refused to order a CBI probe into the death, and hence raised slogans against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. They were seen appealing to the people’s representatives to press for a CBI probe.
More than 500 officials from civil service across the State were present at the village for the last rites. Five-year-old Balaji, the son of Ramesh Gowda (Ravi’s elder brother) performed the rituals. He was laid to rest at 9 pm at his family farm in the village.
Stones thrown at ministers
Angry supporters of Ravi from Kolar pelted stones at ministers D K Shivakumar and T B Jayachandra, during the officer’s funeral at Doddakoppalu in the taluk on Tuesday.
Earlier, thousands of fans demanded that the ministers should leave the place. When they refused to go, there was a verbal duel between the crowd and the ministers. Soon, the crowd began throwing stones at them.
Shivakumar escaped being hurt by the stones by a whisker. The police resorted to lathi charge to control the mob. There was no light at the place and under the cover of darkness, the people climbed on to a tree and threw stones at the ministers.
The police too climbed the tree and chased the crowd away. State JD(S) president H D Kumaraswamy was also present at the funeral. Soil brought for Kolar was poured on the mortal remains.