The Uttar Pradesh government today recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death of IAS officer Anurag Tiwari, soon after the Karnataka-cadre officer’s family met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and expressed dissatisfaction over the handling of the investigation by the state police.
"It has been decided that investigation will be transferred to CBI," Arvind Kumar, Principal Secretary (Home), said in Lucknow.
The family members of the officer had today met Yogi Adityanath in the state capital and demanded a CBI probe.
The announcement came a few hours after the Lucknow Police registered an FIR in the suspicious death.
"An FIR has been registered in Hazratganj police station against unidentified persons in IAS officer Anurag Tiwari's case under IPC section 302 (murder). The complaint was lodged by his brother Mayanak," Circle Officer, Hazratganj, Avanish Kumar Mishra told PTI.
Mishra said that the UP police had registered a murder case against unidentified persons in the matter following a complaint by the officer's brother Mayank Tiwari.
Earlier, the family members of the officer, after meeting the chief minister, said they were not satisfied with the probe so far.
Mayank, who along with his mother met the chief minister to press for a CBI probe, alleged that the scene of crime had been washed and the mobile phone was found in an unlocked condition.
"We are not satisfied with the police probe. We have requested the CM to recommend a CBI probe," Mayank told reporters.
"We demanded a CBI inquiry in order to find out why he was killed," his mother Sushila Devi told newspersons after meeting the chief minister.
Mayank had written to the Prime Minister's Office too demanding a CBI inquiry into his brother's death.
In his letter, he said Anurag was an honest officer and wanted to work for the betterment of the society. "A few days back, Anurag had told me that he had stumbled upon a major scam in the Food and Civil Supplies department of Karnataka, which he wanted to inform the PMO and CBI," he wrote.
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 the public domain.
Sushila Devi made a fervent appeal to the prime minister and chief minister demanding justice for her son.
She said that she wanted to know why an honest officer was killed. She also said that her son never went for morning walk, countering the police which had suggested that he may have gone out for a morning walk when he died.
"My son was very honest. Corrupt officers did not like him. They must have somehow got him murdered," Tiwari's father B N Tiwari had alleged in Bahraich, his native place.
The family said that the chief minister has assured them of justice.
iwari, 36, was found dead on May 17, his birthday, under mysterious circumstances near a VIP guest house, where he was staying, in the high-security Hazratganj area here.
The IAS officer had stayed at the VIP guest house on Mirabai Marg for two days before his death on his 35th birthday. He was there with his batchmate P.N. Singh, who is Vice Chairman of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA).
Tiwari was last seen having dinner at a prominent eatery in the state capital on Tuesday near Raj Bhawan, a day before he was found dead.
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.
The family has claimed that Tiwari was killed as he was about to disclose a major multi-crore-rupee scam in the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department where he was posted as Commissioner.
The UP police had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the death on May 18.
The issue has taken 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 Assemly premises are hardly a kilometre from the spot where his 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.
