Four days after the mysterious death of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Anurag Tiwari, the Uttar Pradesh Police have launched a murder investigation and asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the case, when the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had arrived at no tangible results. The principal secretary of the home department confirmed that CBI will indeed investigate the death of Anurag Tiwari, and they also decided to approach Department of Personnel and Training recommending CBI probe in this matter. UP police lodged a FIR under IPC section 302 (murder) against unknown persons at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow after suspicions raised over the death of the Karnataka cadre officer.
Mr. Anurag Tiwari was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his night-clothes on Wednesday near the Meerabai guesthouse where he was staying in Hazratganj area of Lucknow. He was staying with his batchmate and vice-chairman of Lucknow Development Authority PN Singh in the same room in the guest house before the night of his death. He discovered on the morning of May 23, 2017, outside the guest house. He was serving as a commissioner, food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department in Karnataka. He was in UP’s Lucknow after attending a meeting at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie.
The deceased officer’s family had alleged foul play even though the autopsy report suggests he could have died of asphyxia. They met with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking a CBI probe and said that they are not satisfied with the police probe. His elder brother said that the CM has assured that nobody will go unpunished and the matter will be probed thoroughly.
Mr. Mayank had hinted at a conspiracy behind his brother’s death. He said that his brother was under tremendous pressure due receiving death threats from anonymous people about two months ago. Revealing the details of the threats he produced screenshots of WhatsApp chats between him and his brother. They also alleged the local police because they either seal the room at the guest house or gather the CCTV footage from the area and nobody has even taken a statement from them so far.
The issue has taken a political color after UP minister Suresh Kumer Khanna raise the matter vociferously in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly that Tiwari was about to expose a Rs. 2,000 crore scam in the Karnataka food and civil supplies department under congress government in Karnataka. But denying all the allegations, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that they will cooperate with the authority to inquire and added that there is no such scam in the food and civil supplies department and request UP government that they do not speculate.
