How many honest officers are left in the country today? Very few, going by the public perception. And, if an honest officer like D.K. Ravi dies in mysterious circumstances, giving rise to the suspicion that he might have been killed, one fails to understand why does the Karnataka Government want to avoid having an independent probe as demanded by almost everyone? Is there something to hide? D.K. Ravi, an outstanding IAS officer of Karnataka cadre had a very high reputation of integrity and courage. He took on the might of land and sand mafia and the tax evaders in the state. In fact, the Government of Karnataka should have itself offered to get the investigation done into his death by an independent agency. He was an asset for the state. His death should mean a great loss for the state. Alas, unfortunately it appears that an asset for the state might not have been an asset for the powerful political and business lobbies. So it appears, the way the Karnataka Government has tried to stall all demands of a CBI probe.
Family members of D.K. Ravi have demanded a CBI probe. Old parents of Ravi have threatened that if a CBI investigation is not ordered, they would commit suicide. The opposition parties in Karnataka are agitating for a CBI probe and they are sitting on a night-long dharna in the legislative assembly for the second day. There is a huge public uproar demanding CBI investigation. And, the Chief Minister and the Home Minister of Karnataka are adamant on not handing over this investigation to CBI. How removed are those in power from the people’s sentiments? I personally feel there is something that the Karnataka Government wants to hide. If nothing else, then the objective appears to be to delay the CBI investigation to the extent possible (if it cannot be successfully avoided) so that crucial pieces of evidence disappear by that time. It is really shocking.
The kind of public support that D.K. Ravi has enjoyed is merely an indicator of his good work. People know the real worth of an officer who does work honestly and efficiently. D.K. Ravi was quite successful in his earlier tenure as the Deputy Commissioner of Kolar district. His pro-people approach, his honesty, his fight against the powerful people indulging in illegal activities, and his initiatives in solving people’s grievances by innovative administrative measures, all endeared him to the people of Kolar even though he spent only about a year as Deputy Commissioner of Kolar. There are reports that he was transferred out of Kolar due to action taken by him against powerful people. It is also reported that his transfer was effected after he ordered clearance of land found to have been encroached by a realty firm.
After his transfer as Additional Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (Enforcement) in Bangalore, he continued his good work by initiating strict action against tax evaders. Reports suggest that within a short duration of a few months, Ravi was successful in earning hundreds of crores for the state exchequer. But, state’s gain is the loss of the powerful lobbies who only know how to hoodwink the administration for their selfish interests. This appears to have enraged the powerful lobbies. There are reports that Ravi was getting threats, including threats from political quarters.
In these circumstances, his suspicious death (he was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his house) is bound to raise serious doubts about the cause of death. There is every reason to suspect a foul play in his death. What is needed, at the least, is an independent and fair investigation. No-one wants a certificate being given by the Police Commissioner immediately after the death that it appeared to be a suicidal death, without even conducting an initial investigation. Perhaps, the police commissioner appears to have taken the cue from his political bosses. Investigation should not only be thorough, fair and independent, but it should also seem to be so. Jumping to a hasty conclusion or drawing any unnecessary conclusions on the first day of investigation itself in a sensitive case of this nature is immature and may be liable to be labelled as unfair investigation.
Moreover, on the one hand, the Chief Minister claims that the police is capable of handling the said investigation, and on the other, the investigation appears to have been taken away from the city police and given to the CID. Further, before the case is handed over to the CID, its top boss is transferred out and a new officer is brought in. So, what it is that the city police cannot investigate and the CID can do? Is it professional capacity to conduct investigation or the need to appear to be impartial in investigation? If the investigation can be given to CID, what is the harm in handing it over to the CBI? After-all, the city police and CID are under the same political bosses. If the city police can be suspected of not doing a fair and impartial investigation, the same allegation may also stick to the CID. If there are some vested interests behind the death of D.K. Ravi, who are getting direct or indirect support from the State Government in jeopardising a fair and independent investigation, then the CID also cannot be said to be immune to their pressures.
The advantage of handing over the investigation to CBI is that it is not under the State Government due to which it can conduct an investigation without there being any interference from that Government. The truth can come out. Of course, the State Government (controlled by Congress) may perhaps be worried that the CBI can be influenced by the Central Government controlled by BJP and there may be action against some of its leaders or influential people. However, that can happen only if some political bigwigs from the State are involved directly or indirectly in the death of Ravi. If there is nothing to conceal, there should be no worry of skeletons tumbling out of the cupboards of the State Government.
Going by the past experience, eventually the investigation will have to be handed over to the CBI since you can no more ignore such strong public sentiments, though you can delay it somewhat at your own cost. If the Government does not act on its own, the courts will intervene and order CBI investigation. So, either the State Government is too naïve to understand that it cannot avoid CBI investigation for long, or perhaps the objective appears to be to delay the CBI investigation as much as possible so that material pieces of evidence (such as DNA samples of foreign bodies) on the dead body as well as on the spot disappear meanwhile. If the State Government wants to have some credibility, it should give in to the public sentiments and immediately order CBI probe in the matter.
Unfortunately, this is the situation when the case involves death of a senior IAS officer. No-one knows what would have been the fate of a lesser mortal. The list of honest officers being martyred is becoming longer. Satyendra Dubey, Shanmughan Manjunath, Narendra Kumar, D.K. Ravi, and so many others. We could not save the lives of these honest people. Can we at least ensure justice in their cases?
