Amid growing chorus for a CBI probe into the mysterious death of an upright IAS officer, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today asserted that the government was not protecting anybody and would make its stand known in the Assembly on Monday.

"We are not going to hide anything. We are not going to protect anybody. We are also particular that the truth should come out," the chief minister said.



He said the state CID, which is now probing the case, was also an independent body like the CBI. "We have to look at the morale of our police also."



"Since the Assembly is going on and has been adjourned to Monday, the stand of the government would be made known on the floor of the House," he told reporters here, as his government came under increasing pressure with Congress President Sonia Gandhi also advising him to hold an inquiry by the central agency.



He said he had apprised the party central leadership, including Gandhi, of the developments.



"But madam has not instructed me to do like this or that. She told us that it is for the government to take a decision and given free hand to the government," he claimed.



Siddaramaiah said he understood the sentiments of the people and of the parents of 35-year-old D K Ravi, who was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his apartment on Monday last.



He said he met Ravi's parents on March 18 and had told them that the government would take a decision after the post-mortem and other related reports are available with it.



"I am making it very clear that the government is not going to protect anybody. We are not going to hide anything," Siddaramaiah said.



"We are very transparent in this. We are also very particular that the truth comes out. People of Karnataka should know the truth," he said.



Siddaramaiah also lashed out at the Opposition parties, particularly JDS, accusing it of trying to draw political mileage out of the incident.



The allegation by JDS that the government was not interested in bringing out the truth was "politically motivated," he said.



Reacting sharply to JDS leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy questioning his visit to the hospital during the postmortem examination of Ravi's body and his allegation that it was an attempt to influence the case, Siddaramaiah said the charge was "childish, irresponsible and politically motivated".



He also dismissed Kumaraswamy's charge that a woman IAS officer, who was a batch mate of Ravi, was being harassed. "The question of harassing does not arise at all. The charge is concocted and fabricated."



Stepping up pressure on the Siddaramaiah government both BJP and JDS have jointly mounted an offensive on the issue and blocked proceedings of the Assembly for the last three days insisting on a CBI probe.



They had also met the Governor urging him to advise the government to order a CBI probe.