English
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer D K Ravi aka D K Ravikumar, who had taken over the land mafia in Karnataka’s Kolar district, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself. As Additional Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (Enforcement), Ravikumar had made a mark in administration for his upright nature. An IAS officer of the 2009 batch, the 36-year-old Ravi earned a good name when he was appointed as Deputy Commissioner in Kolar district and took action against the illegal activities of the land mafia. The locals were overwhelmed with Ravi’s work and even had called for a district bandh (strike) against his transfer.
Ravikumar’s death is being claimed as a suicide case. But when one thinks about his struggle against the land mafia, we can’t help question his death. Did Ravikumar’s death involve foul play?
Unfortunately, D K Ravikumar isn’t the only officer who took a stand against all odds and later either got transferred or sacked, or lost their lives. Here are some more Indian gems in administration whose death is still covered in mystery. Take a look:
1- Shanmugam Manjunath:
In 2005, an A grade officer working as a manager for the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) was murdered for taking action against two petrol pumps in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh. Manjunath had ordered the sealing of the petrol pumps for three months, as they were caught for selling adulterated fuel. Ignoring the order, one of the pumps began operations and Manjunath decided to raid it. During the operation, he was shot dead.
2- Yashwant Sonawane:
In 2011, Yashwant Sonawane, Additional District Collector of Malegaon was burnt alive with kerosene by the oil mafia at Manmad in Maharashtra. The 44-year-old Sonawane had caught the oil mafia pilfering fuel from a tanker. Sonawane was building a case against a person named Popat Shinde, the prime accused in his murder. Shinde has been working with the oil mafia for over 30 years. Sonawane had seized 4,000 litres of kerosene and 3,000 litres of petrol from Shinde’s dhaba.
3- Narendra Kumar:
An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Narendra Kumar was killed while chasing a tractor loaded with illegally mined stones in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. Kumar had spotted a tractor during patrolling and tried to stop it, blocking its path by his Jeep. But the driver of the tractor ploughed into him. The death caused outrage across the country because Kumar was evidently killed for trying to combat illegal mining in the state.
4- Durga Shakti Nagpal:
In a shameful incident, the Uttar Pradesh government suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal after she formed special teams to stop illegal mining of sand from the beds of the Hindon and Yamuna rivers in Greater Noida area in 2013. Nagpal had seized hundreds of trolleys transporting sand illegally. The government had ordered suspension because Nagpal was allegedly involved in demolishing a wall of a mosque. Indeed, she was targeted because of her tough stand against the sand mafia in her jurisdiction. Following civil dissent, the state government revoked her suspension.
5- Ashok Khemka:
Whistleblower IAS officer from Haryana cadre, Ashok Khemka was popularly known for his strong stand against corruption. He was shunted to the state archives department after he exposed the discrepancy in Robert Vadra’s (son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi) land deals with real estate giant DLF.
A lot more such incidents can be cited where government officers faced the anger of the government or even sacrificed their lives for doing their duties honestly. It is shameful that in our country whoever chooses to fight corruption and illegal activities has to pay a heavy price, which could even be death. (Edited by Shweta Parande)
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest India News on India.com.
