Probe sought into C.J. Roy’s death

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M.V. Govindan on Saturday (January 31) termed Confident Group owner C.J. Roy’s death in Bengaluru as unfortunate and demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.

Speaking to reporters at the Kannur Press Club, Mr. Govindan said Roy was a well-known industrialist and pointed out that the family had alleged harassment by Income Tax officials during a raid, which, they claimed, led to his death. He noted that complaints about the functioning and approach of Central investigation agencies had been raised earlier as well.

Mr. Govindan said that, as per media reports, only issues that could have been resolved remained even after the raid and alleged that the Income Tax raid continued for about one-and-a-half hours even after Roy allegedly shot himself. He described this as a serious matter requiring scrutiny.

He further alleged that similar approaches had been adopted by Central agency officials towards industrialists and others in the past as well and reiterated the need for an impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Roy’s death.