Sonia asks Karnataka CM to hand over D K Ravi death probe to CBI

Amid growing chorus for a CBI probe into the mysterious death of an upright IAS officer, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was today advised by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to hand it over to the central agency.

Congress General Secretary and in charge of party affairs in Karnataka, Digvijay Singh said in New Delhi that Gandhi has advised Siddaramaiah to hand over the case to CBI. Facing rising public anger, the Chief Minister also today met Governor Vajubhai Val and briefed him about the developments in the case. "I have met the Governor. I have explained him about the developments in Ravi's case till date," Siddaramaiah told reporters after meeting the Governor at Raj Bhavan.

He said, "Governor has heard what we have explained to him; we have told him investigation is going on and investigation has been handed over to CID." The family of 35-year-old D K Ravi, the officer who was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his flat on March 16, also today staged a protest where they remained unrelenting on their demand for a CBI probe. "My son was like a tiger... he would not have committed suicide. He is the son of the country," an emotional mother of Ravi, Gowramma, said, as she broke down. Ravi's brother Ramesh said only a CBI probe should be held.

There has been a clamour for CBI probe from BJP and JDS who have been blocking proceedings of the Assembly for the last three days. The House will resume its sitting on Monday. Protests continued in Bengaluru and Kolar, where Ravi had served as Deputy Commissioner earning reputation as an upright and pro-people officer before being moved to the state capital as Additional Commisioner of Commercial Taxes (Enforcement) in which role he took on several big firms in real estate.

Stepping up pressure, BJP and JDS MLAs had yesterday marched in a procession from Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, to Raj Bhavan and requested Governor to advise the Siddaramaiah Government to refer the case to CBI. Home Minister K J George had made it clear after a cabinet meeting yesterday that there was no change in the stand of the government, which has come under attack from the Opposition and others for "stonewalling" central probe.