Bihar IAS officer jumps before train, suicide note found

Mukesh Pandey was a 2012 batch IAS officer of the Bihar Cadre who ended his life on a tragic note....literally. His boyd was found on the tracks near the Ghaziabad railway station on Thursday evening. Police found a suicide note with details of his family members who need to be contacted after his demise. Apparently, he had also mentioned of a second suicide note in his bag, which would have details of his reason for taking the drastic step.

According to the police, Pandey sent a WhatsApp message to a few near and dear ones informing them that he was going to take this extreme step and that his suicide note will be found in a hotel in New Delhi.

His message read, "I am committing suicide in district centre area of janakpuri west delhi near hotel Piccadilly by jumping off the 10th floor of the building (sic). I am fed up with life and my belief on human existence has gone, my suicide note is kept in Nike bag in room 742 of Leela Palace Hotel in Delhi! I am sorry I love you all! Plz forgive me!”, he wrote.

#Ghaziabad: belongings of Mukesh Pandey, 2012 batch Bihar cadre IAS officer, were recovered from the suicide spot @htTweets @HTNoidaGzb pic.twitter.com/toVoFL76FS

— Peeyush Khandelwal (@journopk) August 11, 2017

Shocking news of sad & untimely demise of Mukesh Pandey, IAS, DM Buxar, Bihar. Deepest condolences and may the departed soul Rest in Peace

— IAS Association (@IASassociation) August 10, 2017

Surprisingly, when police reached the spot, they failed to find him. "We were informed by his friends and batch mates, but when we reached we found no such call or incident. All the CCTV footage was checked and in one of them, he can be seen leaving West End Mall around 5:55p.m.,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vijay Kumar. However, while checking a few more CCTV footages, it was found that he was going toward a metro station. And around 9 pm, his severed body was found on the tracks near the Ghaziabad station. 

Meanwhile, Ghaziabad GRP SHO said that the DM may have committed suicide by jumping in front of a running train. "Body has been sent for post mortem which would be conducted on Friday," he said. Police recovered his identity cards and a suicide note from the site. The Ghaziabad DM, who had reached the spot, said that a notebook was also found in Pandey's possession. The note read:

"I am Mukesh Kumar Pandey, IAS, 2012 batch, posted as DM Buxar. I am committing suicide of my own volition. After my death, inform my relatives".

Randhir Singh, circle officer (GRP), Ghaziabad, speaking to the Hindustan Times, said, "The deceased officer was wearing trouser and sandals while his t-shirt was ripped apart due to the impact of the speeding train. The incident took place under Ghaziabad GRP jurisdiction and we are awaiting more directions from the senior officers."

The DM further added, "Before his body was found on the railway tracks in Ghaziabad, he had called up a known person from Leela Palace Hotel in Delhi. The card of the hotel was also found from the incident site. This call was made to let the other person know that he was committing suicide. Later, his body was found on tracks in Ghaziabad. We have informed his family and forensic teams have reached the spot."

Pandey had handed over charge to deputy development commissioner

According to sources, Pandey had cited an emergency at home while leaving Buxar. He had handed over all charges to the deputy development commissioner (DDC) Mobin Ali Ansari. Following which, he took a flight to New Delhi via Varanasi. He was posted as DDC in Katihar district before being transferred to Buxar as district magistrate on July 31 in the administrative reshuffling made by the newly-made NDA government. 

Mobin Ali said, "I received an SMS from the DM at 3.36am on Thursday, asking me to come and take charge. He mentioned that he had to urgently leave for Delhi as his uncle was not well. I saw the SMS at 6am and reached the circuit house, where the officer was staying after his posting to the district on August 4, at 7am. The caretaker gave me the DM’s official mobile phone and said he left at 4am for Patna, where he had a morning flight to catch."

He further confirmed, "There was nothing unusual about him when we last met on Wednesday evening during the Prime Minister’s video conference with the cabinet secretary, chief secretaries and district magistrates of the country. The officer even tipped off his driver and personal security guard at the Patna airport. He asked them to come and receive him after two days when he would return from Delhi."

Unconfirmed sources said that the DM was depressed due to discord with in-laws, but the allegations are yet to be confirmed by investigating teams. 

Marriage

Pandey was married in 2014 into a prominent business family that owned a car showroom in Patna. It is said that he was about to shift his wife and new-born baby girl to Buxar and was yet to unpack his belongings after his transfer from Katihar. 

Pandey was a meritorious student and an "honest" cadre as his fellow batchmates pointed out. After his matriculation and higher secondary education in Guwahati (Assam), Pandey graduated in English from Guwahati’s prestigious Cotton College. He secured 14th rank in 2012 Union Public Service Examination (UPSC), which is considered the toughest exam in India.