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Too early to tell cause of death: K’taka home minister on CJ Roy
Home Minister G Parameshwara stated it's too early to determine the cause of CJ Roy's death, amid claims it was linked to Income Tax pressure.
Home minister G Parameshwara said on Tuesday that it was too early to attribute a cause to the death of Confident Group founder-chairman CJ Roy, while addressing claims by the industrialist’s family members that pressure from the Income Tax Department led to his suicide.
“Everything will be ascertained once the probe is completed. Until then, we cannot arrive at any conclusion. It cannot be said at this stage that the suicide occurred due to a particular reason,” Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru, adding that findings would depend on the outcome of an ongoing investigation.
Roy, founder and chairman of the Confident Group, died after allegedly shooting himself in his office chamber in Bengaluru last Friday while Income Tax officials were conducting a search. Investigators said he was alone in a soundproof first-floor room when the gunshot was fired, and that officials entered after hearing the shot and moved him to a hospital. According to police accounts, Roy had been questioned for about an hour during the raid and was asked to produce documents. After submitting one set, he went to his chamber, where the shooting occurred.
A special investigation team formed by the state has begun examining the circumstances surrounding the death. Parameshwara said police would record statements from family members and others connected to the case and review all aspects that emerge. “We will make a decision based on the outcome of the investigation,” he said.
He also referred to a letter from Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding Roy’s death during the Income Tax action, saying the department falls under the Union government and that any decision on a judicial or other inquiry would rest there. “I am aware of the letter written by Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding the suicide of industrialist CJ Roy. I do not know the contents of the letter, but we should wait to see what decision is taken. The Income Tax department comes under Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman. I do not know whether she will order a judicial inquiry or any other probe,” he said.
SIT officials described Roy as having faced financial strain in recent months. They said his businesses had expanded across Karnataka, Kerala and overseas, and that newer projects were financed not through bank loans but through investments from certain politicians. As projects failed to meet expectations, Roy’s financial management deteriorated and investors began seeking returns, people aware of the matter said.
At the same time, central agencies had begun scrutinising his business operations, with particular focus on the funding sources for large-scale ventures undertaken without bank loans. Investigators believe that pressure from investors and questioning by tax authorities may have contributed to mounting stress.
The special investigation team has questioned Income Tax officials present during the search and instructed them not to leave the city without permission, officials said. Statements are also being recorded from Confident Group employees, Roy’s family members, and the company’s managing director, TA Joseph, who filed the complaint in the case. Investigators are examining whether Roy had been threatened.
