IAS officer's death: Karnataka CID probe report on Monday

Bengaluru, March 22 (IANS) Karnataka will on Monday release a preliminary report on the findings of the state CID probe into the mysterious death of IAS officer D.K. Ravi.

"The chief minister (Siddaramaiah) will share details of the CID report into Ravi's death with lawmakers in the legislative assembly on Monday and recommend handing over the case to the CBI for further inquiry," an official told IANS here on Sunday.

The probe by the Criminal Investigation Department was ordered on March 17, a day after 36-year-old Ravi was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his apartment. Police had termed it a case of suicide for "personal reasons".

Though the state government rejected a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case despite public outrage and vociferous demands by the opposition parties, the ruling Congress appears to have relented following the advice of its party president Sonia Gandhi to transfer the sensational case to the country's premier investigating agency.

"As the assembly's budget session is going on, the chief minister will take the house into confidence on the government's decision to hand over the case to the CBI on merits of the CID probe findings," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Ravi, a 2009 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was additional commissioner in the commercial tax department in the city since December 2014 after being transferred from Kolar district, about 100 km away, where as deputy commissioner he built a reputation of being an upright officer for reining in the sand and land mafias.

"As the legislature is in session, the government's stand on it (Ravi's death case) will be made known in the assembly on Monday," Siddaramaiah told reporters on Saturday.

Demanding a CBI probe into Ravi's death, lawmakers of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal-Secular disrupted proceedings in both the legislative assembly and legislative council (upper house) since March 17 and forced their adjournment till March 23.

Asserting that his government was not trying to protect anyone or hide anything from the public, Siddaramaiah said that as the case was registered under a specific section of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to suicide and not under murder or homicide, the CID was told to probe it for the truth to come out early.

"We are not going to protect anybody nor hide anything because we are also keen that the truth about Ravi's death should come for the sake of justice," he said.

"She (Sonia Gandhi) told us that it was up to the state government to decide on the merits of the case. She has given a free hand to the government in deciding the course of action in the case appropriately," Siddaramaiah said.

Sharing the concern of Ravi's family, especially his parents, who also staged a protest at the state secretariat on March 18 demanding a CBI probe into their son's death, the chief minister said justice would be done at any cost.

"The state government will do its best to suitably compensate the family for the loss of Ravi, a bright officer, in mysterious circumstances," Siddaramaiah added.