CID deleted CCTV clip of deceased IAS officer DK Ravi, says father-in-law

MYSURU: The father-in-law of DK Ravi, the IAS officer who died mysteriously in Bengaluru on March 16, on Tuesday alleged that the state CID had erased footage showing his son-in-law walking out of his residence in the morning of the day of his death.

Reacting to the allegation by the father-in-law, H Hanumantharayappa, a CID officer said the digital video recording was of low quality. "There were blurred visions and the footage was sub-standard. The allegations are baseless and the investigation is not affected in any way," he said.

This was not the only allegation hurled on Monday, with Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju saying that selective leaks of information to the media by the Karnataka government about details of the investigation into Ravi's death "may hamper the inquiry process".

The minister told TOI, "I've learnt that the Karnataka government has been selective in leaking information to the media and it will not help the investigation process in any way. There should be a holistic approach to the probe and the government shouldn't pick-and-mix details."

Describing Ravi's case as a politically sensitive one, Rijiju said these kind of cases have to be treated with utmost urgency as there is pressure from civil society, media and opposition parties.

"Definitely, the case will be probed within a short period. But I can't tell in how much time the CBI should complete the investigation," Rijiju said.

When it was pointed out that cases referred to the CBI generally get delayed, the MoS admitted to it, saying he was equally concerned about this. He felt the investigation shouldn't get delayed beyond a reasonable point.

In a related development, a private complaint was filed by activist TJ Abraham with police on Tuesday evening accusing two of Ravi's family members of abetting the IAS officer to commit suicide and destroying the evidence thereafter.