D K Ravi, the IAS officer who was found dead mysteriously at his house in Bengaluru on Monday was laid to rest with state honours at his native, Doddakoppalu village in Kunigal taluk on Tuesday.
Thousands of people bid a tearful adieus to Ravi (35), the 2009-batch IAS officer who was serving as Additional Commissioner (Enforcement) of Commercial Taxes Department. It was 7 pm by the time the mortal remains were brought to Doddakoppalu.
The villagers by then had come to know that the State government had refused to order a CBI probe into the death, and hence raised slogans against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. They were seen appealing to the people’s representatives to press for a CBI probe.
More than 500 officials from civil service across the State were present at the village for the last rites. Five-year-old Balaji, the son of Ramesh Gowda (Ravi’s elder brother) performed the rituals. He was laid to rest at 9 pm at his family farm in the village.
Stones thrown at ministers
Angry supporters of Ravi from Kolar pelted stones at ministers D K Shivakumar and T B Jayachandra, during the officer’s funeral at Doddakoppalu in the taluk on Tuesday.
Earlier, thousands of fans demanded that the ministers should leave the place. When they refused to go, there was a verbal duel between the crowd and the ministers. Soon, the crowd began throwing stones at them.
Shivakumar escaped being hurt by the stones by a whisker. The police resorted to lathi charge to control the mob. There was no light at the place and under the cover of darkness, the people climbed on to a tree and threw stones at the ministers.
The police too climbed the tree and chased the crowd away. State JD(S) president H D Kumaraswamy was also present at the funeral. Soil brought for Kolar was poured on the mortal remains.
