IAS officer's death: CBI can go beyond personal reasons

Bengaluru, March 19: A CBI probe into the death of D K Ravi, the IAS officer alleged to have committed suicide could open up a pandoras box, the opposition believes. The ruling Congress is in a clear dilemma over whether or not to hand over the probe to the CBI and the Cabinet meeting is in progress to decide on this.

As the debate continues, Rajnath Singh, the home minister said in Parliament that the central government is agreeable to a CBI probe if the state asks for it.

The Karnataka government has been claiming that this is a case of suicide due to personal reasons but there are not many takers for this and taking into account the kind of work that Ravi has done and the reputation he has, many believe that there has been foul play in his death.

Caught between the devil and the deep sea:

If the government has concluded that it was a case of suicide due to personal reasons then it will need to come out and state it in the open. This is a double-edged sword for the Karnataka government as it would face allegations of a cover up if it states clearly that the death was due to personal reasons.

By handing over the probe to the CBI, the ruling party could well wash its hands off the probe and let the CBI do the talking.
While this could kill the issue entirely raised by the opposition many would still believe that a CBI probe will open up the pandora's box and lead to several other aspects which includes the kind of enemies Ravi due to the nature of work that he undertook.

The CBI will go beyond reasons:

The Central Bureau of Investigation will look into various aspects relating to the death of Ravi. It would investigate multiple angles, which would include both personal and professional.

While the first priority of the CBI would be to investigate into the reasons leading up to the death of the IAS officer, it would also look into various other aspects. The CBI has an extra ordinary jurisdiction which can go beyond a brief.

During its probe, it would summon several persons in for questioning and ask them about the various pressures that Ravi could have faced while he was at work.

There are already many allegations made by the opposition and also the family members who have alleged threat calls being made to him when he took on both the mighty sand and builder mafia. This would come under the purview of the CBI which would look to go beyond the case.

The CBI would probe into the threat angles relating to Ravi and would probe and summon people who could be behind it. This would sure open up the case even further.

Divided opinion:

The ruling party has been discussing the issue of a CBI probe at length. There is a divided opinion regarding the handing over of the probe to the CBI. The Chief Minister during his discussions feels that the government can rid itself of the headache of telling the people the reasons leading up to the death of Ravi if the CBI is roped in.

However, there are others who feel that the CBI will go into angles that could be uncomfortable for many. Many in the opposition also feel that the state would find it difficult to justify its investigation and hence they must be allowed to speak up.

Several leaders in the opposition also point out that if the CBI probe is initiated it could go into various other aspects which would include the kind of pressure that Ravi was under and also his future course of action where he had lined up a series of raids targeting several big wigs.

Rajnath Singh in Parliament:

Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said in Parliament said a while ago that he has spoken to the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He has informed me that some more reports relating to the case will come out and they will give out details to the centre in two days.

He also said that if the state government wants a CBI probe then I would like to inform that we are fully agreeable to it.