Bengaluru: With tension gripping Karnataka’s capital following the death of IAS officer DK Ravi, social activist and whistleblower Ganesh S Koundiny has claimed that DK Ravi was planning raids on some big developers to unearth commercial tax evasion.
Ravi, after taking over as Additional Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (Enforcement) in October, had recovered an income tax of Rs 400 crore from housing societies.
“I had a conversation with Ravi on Thursday and Friday, if I remember. He told me that he had conducted raids on some developers and housing societies and recovered Rs 400 crore as income tax … Ravi was looking at raiding some big developers in Bangalore and he wanted to recover the evasion of taxes,” Koudinhy told reporters in Bengaluru.
The activist said that the deceased officer was eager to meet him to get some documentary evidence in his possession so they both could work together to unearth commercial tax violations.
“Since Ravi wanted some documents from me, he got in touch with me so that we both could work together to see that commercial tax violation could be unearthed,” he added.
Koundiny also said he was planning to meet Ravi in a couple days. “Ravi told me to meet this week and I was contemplating to meet him today or tomorrow, but before that this incident happened,” he added.
He flayed the government for “concluding” in the Assembly that it was a suicide even before the investigation commenced. “What is annoying is that even before the investigation has commenced, the government has taken a stand that it is a suicide,” he said.
The 35-year-old IAS officer, who had taken on the sand mafia known in Kolar district of Karnataka was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room at his official flat here yesterday.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner MN Reddi said that forensically, medically and examination of the situation all point to “prima facie understanding of a suicide.”
Earlier, anger spilled on to the streets of Karnataka on Tuesday as sea of crowd gathered outside Ravi’s residence to pay tributes and accompany the IAS officer’s body on his final journey.
Meanwhile, minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that the death of IAS officer DK Ravi is a serious matter, but added that the Central Government will not intervene at this stage. “This is a serious issue because it involves a senior official. We have raised the issue in the house also,” said Rijiju. “It is difficult for the Central Government to intervene in the functioning of the State Government because this case is directly related to them,” he added.
Condoling the death of Ravi, an upright IAS officer who had taken on the sand mafia, Kejriwal also pledged to continue his fight against corruption. “IAS officer D K Ravi, who took on Mafia, found dead. Heart felt condolences 2 his family.
“Let’s pledge to continue his fight against corruption,” he tweeted.
(Agencies)
