BENGALURU: The truth behind the alleged suicide of Ramesh, personal assistant to Congress leader G Parameshwara, will reportedly take some time to be out. It’s close to 20 days since Ramesh allegedly ended his life on October 12 by hanging from a tree in the Sports Authority of India grounds in Jnana Bharathi police station limits, but the investigation in the case has not moved an inch to rule out any possible foul play. Jnana Bharathi police had registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Ramesh’s autopsy was conducted at Victoria Hospital, which reportedly stated that his death was due to asphyxiation because of hanging. The police had sent viscera samples and the suicide note to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination after some days.
“The FSL is yet to submit the histopathology report. The laboratory is piled with work and unless the police show some sense of urgency the laboratory will take some time to conduct the forensic examination of the viscera. The investigating officer has not pressed for the histopathology report,” an FSL source said.
Ramesh’s suicide came as a shock to his family. The income tax raids against former deputy chief minister Parameshwara had concluded at 2.45am on the day. Ramesh had left for home only after the tax officers left Parameshwara’s house in Sadashivanagar. “Ramesh’s body was found hanging by a pair of brown trousers, which suggested a sense of urgency and panic,” an official source said.
Ramesh left behind a suicide note in which he had stated that he was embarrassed by the income tax raids (against Parameshwara in the medical seat scam in the two colleges run by his trust).
On October 10, the Directorate of Income Tax, Karnataka and Goa, had begun search and seizure operations at 30 locations in Karnataka, Delhi and Rajasthan linked to the medical seat scam in three colleges - Sri Siddhartha Medical College, Sri Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre. All these colleges belong to Sri Siddhartha Education Trust, of which Parameshwara is the main trustee. Raid was also carried out at Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research in Kolar, which is associated with former nonagenarian Congress leader R L Jalappa.
“The DGIT investigation in the medical seat scam in Karnataka is underway,” an I-T officer said.