IAS officer, found dead on his birthday in Lucknow, was probing Karnataka food and civil supplies scam

Lucknow: On a day he was to celebrate his 36th birthday with his family in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich, Karnataka cadre IAS officer Anurag Tiwari was found dead under mysterious circumstances near a guest house in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Posted as the Food and Civil Supplies commissioner in Bengaluru, Tiwari was heading an investigation into a food and civil supplies scam there, reported The Pioneer.

The Lucknow Police suspects that Tiwari fell while he was out for a morning walk. However, the 36-year-old deceased's older brother Alok Tiwari told The Times of India: "He (Anurag) was a bookworm and read up to 2 am. My brother never stepped out for a morning walk and something seems fishy.”

"Senior officials in the civil supplies department in Karnataka kept harassing Tiwari. His leave was not sanctioned and he was considering changing his cadre from Karnataka," Alok added.

Amar Ujala quoted Alok as claiming that Anurag Tiwari had unearthed a Rs 2,000 crore scam in his department and apprised the Karnataka government of the same. However, no action was taken, further alleged Alok.

His inconsolable parents, who live in Kanungopura area in Bahraich, told the steady stream of visitors and relatives that they had organised a 'Mahamrityunjaya Jaap' for their son's long life on his birthday when the news of his death reached them.

Tiwari had come to Lucknow on Tuesday and a room for him was booked at the VIP guest house on Mirabai road by his batchmate PN Singh, who is currently Vice Chairman of the Lucknow Development Authority.

His father BN Tiwari kept on mumbling that his son's life has been snatched by someone. A retired physics professor at a local college, he, however, did not name any suspects.

Anurag Tiwari was youngest of the three brothers and was selected in the IAS in 2007.

He had married Arunima Pathak in 2008 in Kanpur but the couple separated within a month and later settled for a mutual divorce.

Family members said they did not suspect any role of their daughter-in-law in the death of their son but said that this could be the handiwork of some corrupt people in Karnataka, whose life had been made miserable by their honest son.

Police so far have not said anything conclusively on the possible reasons behind the death of the young bureaucrat.

There was an injury mark on Tiwari's chin and some blood was found on the spot where the body was found but there were no other injury marks.

Police Inspector AK Shahi told news agency IANS that the exact cause of the death would only be ascertained after post-mortem.

Tiwari had earlier served as Deputy Commissioner of Bidar, Assistant Commissioner of Madhugiri, Deputy Commissioner of Kodagu and Deputy Secretary, Finance, in Karnataka.

(With Agency inputs)