SIT has begun probe in realtor death case: K'taka Home min
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday said that an SIT constituted to probe the death of C J Roy, Founder and Chairman of the Confident Group, has begun the probe.
Meanwhile, the last rites of Roy, a real estate tycoon who was found dead at his office on January 30 with bullet injuries, were performed on Sunday in the presence of family members, friends and admirers.
He allegedly died by suicide amid Income Tax raids at his premises.
A native of Kerala, he was laid to rest at Confident Cascade near Bannerghatta here, as per his wishes, after a prayer at the church, sources said.
"A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted under the leadership of Joint Commissioner of Police Vamshi Krishna; they have started the investigation from yesterday itself. Until the report comes we cannot say anything, otherwise it will be speculation and not definite information. So we will have to wait," Parameshwara told reporters in response to a question on the probe into Roy's death.
Responding to questions on allegations by some Congress leaders that agencies like IT, ED and CBI were being misused by the central government, and whether there were any links to upcoming polls in Kerala, he said, "without knowing or having information, we cannot say anything. Let the probe report come, after that everything will be known."
An Unnatural Death Report (UDR) has been registered at Ashok Nagar Police Station in connection with the death of Roy, who was Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic.
Roy had allegedly shot himself when the Income Tax team was conducting searches in his office in Bengaluru, according to police sources.
His brother C J Babu on Saturday had claimed that Roy was under pressure due to the Income Tax department's proceedings.
Babu on Sunday speaking to reporters after the last rites said, he last spoke to his brother on January 30 morning, as Roy had called him a couple of times to enquire as to when he will be back from Thailand, and did not mention anything about IT raids during the conversation.
"Roy has gone, it is difficult for us to digest that he is not there. We don't know what to do. We have to see what the family decides. There is nothing to say....we cannot have one more Roy, who used to attend Kannada programmes and events with excitement," he said.
"He last spoke to me on January 30 at 10:40 am, as I was in Thailand to attend a wedding. He asked me when I will be back, and I told him that I will be back on the next day at 7 pm. He said-- let's speak once back," he added.
Stating that Roy had come to Bengaluru on January 27 and stayed at a hotel, Babu said, "I was not in town, as I left for a marriage on January 28....I don't want to speak about anything else. Let's see what comes from the SIT probe."
Roy's son Rohit said, "My father was a great man and I'm at a loss of words to explain what happened. I'm not very sure what caused it. I would like to thank everyone for attending the last rites today, and thanks to the media for being with him when he was alive and today....I don't have much to say as I'm trying to process what has happened...."
He said he will come back and answer questions in the future.
Meanwhile, state BJP President B Y Vijayendra expressing grief over Roy's demise and offering condolence to his family, expressed suspicion over the government hurriedly forming an SIT, and also about the alleged conduct of some Congress leaders including deputy CM D K Shivakumar.
SITs have been formed by this government whenever it wants to save its own people or wants to target the opposition leaders, he alleged, as he highlighted SIT was formed during Valmiki corporation scam, Chinnaswamy stadium stampede case, among others
"Let's wait and see what happens in the days ahead," he added, without dwelling any further on the topic.
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Budget allocation to AYUSH Ministry sees 20% rise
New Delhi (PTI): Budget allocation for the AYUSH ministry saw 20 per cent increase, from Rs 3,671.82 crore (revised estimates) in FY 2025-26 to Rs 4,408.93 crore in FY 2026-27.
The government has also announced the setting up of three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda to strengthen research in the field.
Presenting the Union Budget 2026-27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "Ancient Indian Yoga, already respected in several parts of the world, was given a mass global recognition when the Prime Minister took it to the United Nations."
Stating that post-Covid Ayurveda has gained similar global acceptance and recognition, Sitharaman said exporting quality Ayurvedic products could help farmers who grow the herbs and the youth who process them.
To meet the global demand, she proposed setting up of three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda, upgrading AYUSH pharmacies and drug-testing labs for higher standards of certification ecosystem, making available more skilled personnel, and upgrading the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar to bolster evidence-based research, training and awareness on traditional medicine.
Among the Centrally sponsored schemes, the allocation for the National AYUSH Mission has been increased from Rs 780.96 crore in FY 2025-26 to Rs 1,300 crore in FY 2026-27, registering 66.5 per cent hike.
The allocation for the All India Institute of Ayurveda has been reduced by 12 per cent.
Funding for the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda has also declined from 279.24 crore to 219.05 crore.
