The Uttar Pradesh Government on Monday recommended a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Karnataka cadre IAS officer Anurag Tiwari. The development came after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured Tiwari’s mother Sushila Devi and brother Mayank of justice. Tiwari’s family had expressed their suspicion of foul play behind his death “as he was about to expose a big scam in a Karnataka Government department”.
They expressed unhappiness with the UP Police’s handling of the probe and highlighted the anomalies in collecting evidence and conducting autopsy on Tiwari’s body.
Confirming the development, Principal Secretary, Home, Arvind Kumar said, “It has been decided to hand over the probe to the CBI.”
Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Police registered a murder case in the matter after IAS officer’s elder brother Mayank
lodged a complaint with Hazratganj police.
Tiwari was found dead outside the State Guest House at Meerabai Marg in the morning of May 17 under mysterious circumstances.
Tiwari’s family alleged that he was murdered at the behest of corrupt officers as he was a whistleblower and was about to expose a “scam” in the department of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs in Bengaluru where he was posted as
commissioner.
Mayank claimed that the scene of crime had been washed and the officer’s mobile phone was found in an unlocked condition. “We are not satisfied with the police probe. The Chief Minister has assured us that justice will be done,” he said.
In his police complaint, Mayank said his brother was an “honest officer” and was transferred seven to eight times in his decade-long career. He also claimed that Anurag had told them that there was a threat to his life.
“We demanded a CBI enquiry in order to find out why he was killed,” Sushila Devi told newspersons after meeting the Chief Minister.
Post-mortem examination had indicated that Anurag, 36, had died of asphyxia but police had said that an SIT team probing the case was awaiting the test reports of his viscera and blood samples and heart to find the exact cause of the death.
In the complaint to police, Mayanak said “my brother was a late riser and never went for morning walk”, countering what police had suggested in the case.
“During discussions, he told me that he was working on some files which can expose a big scam,” Mayank said.
He said Anurag was pressured to sign some papers against his wish. “That is why some unidentified people were exerting pressure on him. He was under tremendous pressure in the last few months and he also informed us around two months back that he is facing threat to his life.
“I request you (police) to investigate the mysterious death of my brother on May 17,” Mayank said in the complaint on which the FIR was lodged.
He had written to the Prime Minister’s Office too demanding a CBI inquiry into his brother’s death.
In his letter, he claimed that Anurag had stumbled upon a major scam about which he wanted to inform the PMO and CBI.
He also alleged that there was pressure on Anurag to withdraw the report which could have nailed senior officers and ministers, had it come in public domain.
Sushila Devi made a fervent appeal to the prime minister and chief minister seeking justice for her son.
The UP police had constituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on May 18 to probe the death.
The issue took a political colour after opposition members raised the matter vociferously in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly to question the law and order situation under the BJP government. The Assembly premises are hardly a kilometre from the spot where Anurag’s body was found.
However, an Uttar Pradesh Minister said in the House that the officer was about to expose a major scam under the Congress government in Karnataka.
Tiwari, a 2007-batch IAS officer, was staying at the Meera Bai guest house with a batch mate after attending a mid-career training programme at lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie.