Congress workers protest in Bengaluru over G Parameshwara's PA's suicide

The death of former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara's personal assistant, MS Ramesh, has stirred controversy around the Income Tax (IT) raids on the Congress leader's properties.

The 38-year-old Ramesh was found hanging by a tree branch in the Bengaluru University campus on Saturday, October 12. The Congress workers have claimed that the scrutiny by the IT department led to Ramesh taking the extreme step.

The IT sleuths have been hunting the opposition party leaders after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power in the state. They had recently raided the residence and business establishments of the Congress top shots Dr G Parameshwara and R Laxminarayanappa Jalappa and had recovered undeclared cash and assets worth nearly Rs 10 crore.

The party spokesman Ravi Gowda said that Ramesh was under pressure after the IT officials questioned him in connection with the tax raids on Parameshwara since Thursday (October 3).

Congress party workers are staging protest against the central government at Maurya circle in Bengaluru over Ramesh's death. The party workers blame the IT department for the death of Ramesh and allege that he died due to their torture.

Several political leaders, including Congress's SR Patil, has lashed out at the Centre for the IT hunt on Congress. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a threat to democracy in the nation. The JD(S) supremo HD Devegowda said that the Centre is targeting Parameshwara and former minister DK Shivakumar because they were close to former CM HD Kumaraswamy.

The mysterious death of Ramesh has raised several eyebrows in the state. The BJP MLA Renukacharya has demanded a thorough probe into Ramesh's alleged suicide. The Bengaluru police team headed by Kengeri Gate ACP Manjunath and Vijayanagara ACP Dharmendra has intensified the investigation over his alleged suicide.