Uttar Pradesh: CBI probe into IAS officer Anurag Tiwari's death

Lucknow: The family members of Karnataka cadre IAS officer, Anurag Tiwari, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the state capital last week, met UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

DGP Sulkhan Singh later told reporters that the government was ready to recommend a CBI probe in the matter.

The deceased IAS officer’s sister-in-law Shubra told reporters that the Chief Minister had asked them to wait for the SIT report after which he will recommend a CBI probe but later the government decided to go ahead with the CBI probe.

Mayank Tiwari, the brother of the deceased official, has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for a fair probe into the circumstances leading to the death of Anurag Tiwari.

He said that he was convinced that his brother did not die a natural death.

The family members, who met the Chief Mini-ster, included the brother Mayank and sister-in-law of the Karnataka cadre IAS officer Anurag Tiwari.

In a significant development, the Lucknow police registered a murder case in the death of Anurag Tiwari.

“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 Mayank,” Circle Officer, Hazratganj, Avanish Kumar Misra told reporters.

Earlier, the family members reached Lucknow from Bahraich and drove straight to the state guest house where the 2007 batch IAS official had stayed for two days before he was found dead on the road outside on his 35th birthday on May 17.

There have been conflicting versions and loose ends in the police probe into the officer's death so far.

The 72-hour deadline given to the Special Investigating Team (SIT) has also expired but there have been no major leads.

The family has alleged that Tiwari, who was posted as food and civil supplies commissioner in Karnataka, had been murdered as he was about to expose a multi-crore scam in his state.

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 Assemly 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.