Following strong protests in Kolar and Bengaluru after IAS officer DK Ravi's alleged suicide, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has squashed the opposition's demand for a CBI probe. "It will be a CID probe. The police are perfectly capable of investigating the matter. There is no requirement for a CBI inquiry," Siddaramaiah told NDTV.
The BJP however is still insisting on a CBI inquiry. "On what grounds have the police so quickly decided it was a suicide case? There should be a free and fair inquiry into the death," senior party leader KS Eshwarappa said.
The opposition's stand on the matter is clear: Protests will continue until a CBI inquiry is ordered. After his meeting with the opposition members at Vidhana Soudha, Mr Siddaramaiah said, "I tried to persuade them to the let the budget session continue, but they didn't agree."
Earlier on Tuesday, Ravi, who had taken on the sand mafia in Karnataka's Kolar district, was found hanging at his official residence in Bengaluru's Koramangala locality.
The 36-year-old, 2009 batch officer, was considered an honest officer who went after tax evaders and even collected Rs 100 crore in outstanding tax dues from builders in Bengaluru.
