High political drama continued on Wednesday around the mysterious death of 2009 batch IAS officer, D.K. Ravi, with a sit-in protest by the family of the deceased on the Vidhana Soudha premises demanding a CBI probe that has also become a rallying point for political leaders.
Kariyappa and Gowramma, parents of Ravi, who was found dead on Monday in his apartment in the city, sat on a dharna near the Kengal Hanumanthaiya statue late on Wednesday afternoon demanding a CBI probe. About two hours later, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrived on the spot and tried to convince them that the CID would conduct an impartial probe.
Soon after he left, along with some of his Cabinet colleagues, Opposition leaders took turns to visit the protesting family to express solidarity with their demand. Two former Chief Ministers — H.D. Kumaraswamy and Jagadish Shettar — then visited the family and said they would carry forward the agitation on their behalf.
Ravi’s parents, his brother D.K. Ramesh, sister Bharati, and father-in-law Hanumantharayappa eventually called off the dharna temporarily.
Earlier in the day, with the government standing its ground on a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe, the Opposition BJP and JD (S) in both Houses of the legislature stalled business for the second consecutive day.
Meanwhile, the CID probing the death is questioning all those who spoke to him in the 24 hours before his death. This included a batchmate IAS officer who was the last to speak to him, sources said.
