Kamal Ghorui
BENGALURU: The death by suicide of Confident Group chief CJ Roy has put the state govt in a tight spot over the course of the investigation, even as it constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the circumstances surrounding his death. Key questions now centre on the scope of the probe — including whether income tax officials should face action based on claims made by Roy’s brother, CJ Babu, or whether restraint should be exercised in assessing such allegations.While deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar described Roy as a “good businessman” and backed a high-level inquiry to establish the truth, information technology minister Priyank Kharge said the death was the result of alleged harassment by central agencies. “Police will investigate I-T officials in the case, as they were present during the incident,” Priyank said. Home minister G Parameshwara, however, urged caution, stating that the role of taxmen would be examined only if Roy’s family lodged a formal complaint. Priyank accused the Centre of targeting industrialists and businessmen who do not comply with its diktats. “We all know how the income tax department, Enforcement Directorate, and Goods and Services Tax are being used to harass SMEs, MSMEs, private individuals, and industrialists who do not align with the Centre. These agencies have become tools to harass the people who refuse to pay heed to the Centre. But the same I-T, ED and GST rules do not apply to other business conglomerates,” he said.Alleging preferential treatment for select business families in the country, he continued: “The govt works overtime to ensure that contracts are given to the same business families; they even change policies for them. But for other people who are earning their livelihoods through legal means, this kind of harassment happens.”Responding to various accusations, former Union minister and Kerala BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar did not entertain the claim that I-T raids led to Roy’s death. “People are in grief, and when they are in grief, they tend to say things. I’ll leave it at that. I’m sure there will be an investigation into the causes. But I do not think that any investigative agency or income tax raid, which is very normal for real estate companies, is the cause of suicide,” he said.Chandrasekhar said he learnt about the tragic incident through TV reports. “When anyone takes their own life, it is in my opinion tragic and unfortunate. No problem is so bad you have to take your own life,” he said, while sending condolences to Roy’s family.
