Bengaluru: Their hopes shattered and a son who was the shining light of their lives gone, this family of farmers from Kunigal were inconsolable as they protested at the Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday demanding a CBI probe into D.K. Ravi’s death.
There was anger, there were tears running down their cheeks as Ravi’s mother Gowramma and father Mr Kariyanna sat silently near the Kengal Hanumanthaiah statue. Ravi’s brother Mr Ramesh and cousin Mrs Prabha were more vocal and vent their ire against the government for not handing over the investigation to the CBI. It’s a conspiracy to hush up the case, they claimed as the CBI would expose the many ‘big people’ in the government behind the plot, which led to Ravi’s death.
There was trouble at the Soudha with the police asking them how they entered the premises and insisting on checking their passes. Mrs Prabha then started shouting at the cops.
“The Vidhana Soudha does not belong to the government, it is for the people. We have not come here with begging bowls. We are seeking justice for my brother’s death, we will commit suicide, if justice is not done,” she shouted, silencing the security staff present at that time.
What had upset family members were stories questioning Mr Ravi’s character with some claiming his wife’s family ill-treated his parents.
Father-in-law Mr Hanumantharayappa arrived at the spot and denied the reports. Mr Ravi’s brother Mr Ramesh hugged him and started crying while Mr Kariyanna held his hand tight and started crying in silence.
When media persons asked what the family would do if the government did not hand over the case to CBI, Mrs Gowramma took out a hand towel, put it around her neck and said, “I will strangle myself with this here itself.”
Even after Chief Minister Mr Siddaramaiah promised to look into the issue, the family members were reluctant to end their protest. JD(S) leader Mr Kumaraswamy said opposition parties would maintain the pressure on the government till the case was handed over to CBI. Mrs Gowramma innocently asked, “After losing my son, I don’t know whom to believe. Should I believe you now? If you say so, I will.”
