In the backdrop of unrelenting protests by political parties in the State, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has “advised” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to recommend a Central Bureau of Investigation investigation into the death of IAS officer D.K. Ravi.
Despite the Opposition stalling legislative business demanding a CBI probe, Mr. Siddaramiah refused to relent, and handed over the probe to the CID.
Speaking to The Hindu over the phone from New Delhi, the Congress general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Digvijaya Singh, said, “Yes, she [Ms. Gandhi] has advised a CBI probe and I have spoken to the Chief Minister.”
Asked if he was convinced the CBI would conduct an impartial probe, he said, “We would like an impartial investigation and since the Opposition has been demanding it, we have shared the advice.”
Sources in the Karnataka government confirmed the development and said, “The government will take a decision based on the advice from the [Congress] high command and other details from the probe so far and announce its stand in the Assembly.”
The 2009-batch IAS officer was found dead in his apartment in Bengaluru on Monday. The State Home Minister said “it was prima facie a case of suicide for personal reasons.”
Profile
- D.K. Ravi was born on 10 June, 1979.
- He completed his B.Sc. from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, and his M.Sc. from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi.
- He was an IAS officer of the 2009 batch.
- He was first posted as Assistant Commissioner in Revenue Department, Gulbarga Sub-division. Later, he was a Chief Executive Officer in the Koppal Zilla Panchayat. He also served as a Deputy Commissioner in Kolar.
- From October 29, 2014, he was an Additional Commissioner in the Commercial Taxes Department in Bengaluru.
- Big cases: Cracked down on sand mafia in Kolar district Recovered encroached government land and tanks in Kolar Over the last two months 15 inspections on realty firms and leading private sector bank
- 9:30 am: D.K. Ravi leaves his father-in-law Hanumantharayappa’s house in Nagarabhavi, where he spent the weekend with wife Kusuma
- 10:20 am: Reaches office in his official car
- 11:15 am: Reaches flat in Prestige St. John’s Woods, Chikka Adugodi
- 4:30 pm: Kusuma, who is still in Nagarabhavi, calls driver to ask about Ravi’s whereabouts after failing to reach him on his number.
- 6:00 pm: Kusuma and her father reach Koramangala flat. She uses her spare key, opens the door and finds Mr. Ravi hanging from the ceiling fan in the bedroom.
- 6:30 pm: Police receives calls from family
- 10:15 pm: Body moved to Victoria Hospital