It was suicide: CBI closes sensational D K Ravi case

DHNS

IAS officer D K Ravi committed suicide, and was not murdered as suspected, the Central Bureau of Investigation has concluded.

Bengaluru, 25 Nov 2016: The CBI handed over a 90-page closure report to Assistant Commissioner Bengaluru (South) D T Natesh on Wednesday, a source told DH. He will now have to pass an order accepting or rejecting the report. Ravi’s death on March 16, 2015 had triggered protests across the state, with the Opposition charging he had been murdered for acting against the rich and powerful.

 

The CBI believes Ravi’s suicide was prompted by multiple personal reasons. It does not pin-point a reason, though.

 

A senior police officer said in any case relating to unnatural death, the closure report is submitted to the executive magistrate. 

 

In this case, the assistant commissioner, who has conducted the inquest, is the official who comes into the picture. 

 

“Usually, the assistant commissioner takes the closure report on record,” he said.

 

Widespread protests

A 2009 batch IAS officer, Ravi (34) was found hanging from the ceiling of his house in Koramangala on March 16, 2016. He was then serving as Additional Commissioner of Commercial Tax (Enforcement), Bengaluru.

 

The state government handed over the probe to the CBI when the impression spread that he had been murdered for his tough action against tax evaders, especially realtors.

 

People had protested across Karnataka, seeking a CBI inquiry.

 

The CBI eventually examined the post-mortem report and recorded the statements of Ravi’s friends and relatives. 

 

The post mortem had said the death was caused by asphyxiation from hanging. This was confirmed by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Chennai and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. The viscera test had also established that no toxic substance had entered the body, a source said.

 

Earlier, the Criminal Investigation Department had submitted before the Karnataka High Court that a series of WhatsApp messages, extracted from Ravi’s mobile phone, had established the death as a suicide. Ravi had messaged a woman batchmate. 

 

Ravi was worried about a land development project in Chikkaballapur district he was involved in. His father-in-law Hanumantharayappa, besides his friends and batchmates, had invested in it. Ravi’s efforts to convert the SC/ST land for non-agricultural use had not materialised. 

 

Speaking to DH, Hanumantharayappa said it wasn’t likely problems related to the project had pushed Ravi to suicide.

 

“Yes, it is true I had invested some money in his project on his request. The money has not gone anywhere and it is still a viable project. He had not lost any money on it. I am sure there was no reason for him to end his life thinking it can’t be revived,” he said.