Anurag Tewari death: 'Corrupt IAS mafia in Karnataka is so ruthless, it will derail the investigation'
- IAS officer Anurg Tewari was about to unearth Rs 150 cr scam in the Food and Civil Supplies Department
- Senior "corrupt officers" dissuade young honest officers from unearthing any scam
- Retired IAS officer MN Vijay Kumar had also suffered at the hands of "corrupt officers"
FollowAre the senior "corrupt bureaucrats" in the state behind the death of IAS officer Anurag Tewari? At least, that's what retired IAS officer MN Vijay  Kumar is claiming to it be.
Anurag Tewari was to expose Rs 150 crore scam in the Food and Civil Supplies Department. "But the gang of corrupt senior bureaucrats could have dissuaded him from pursuing the case but in vain. This could be the reason behind his mysterious death," alleged Vijaykumar while speaking to media persons. There is every chance of evidence being tampered unless the government takes some quick action, he observed. "Honest officers seldom get support in the system. Either they have to lose their job or life, that's the kind of situation is in Karnataka," he alleged referring to the deaths DK Ravi and DySP MK Ganapathy.
"Upright and honest junior officers undergo severe mental torture when they do not yield to the corrupt officers' tactics. Many of them have no other go to but to work, silently. Even I was pushed to the wall by my senior corrupt officers. When I did not relent, I had a tough time working in the system," alleged Vijaykumar adding that he had written a detailed letter to the chief secretary in 2016. But no action was taken on it, till date.
Vijay Kumar was a principal secretary-level officer in the state. He was known as an upright officer but he was penalised with 'compulsory retirement' for being outspoken against the corruption in the state government. He was handed over the retirement, three days before his tenure got over.
Apparently, Tewari was to expose the scam that even he had complained about during his tenure. Vijaykumar had written a detailed report on the scam in Food and Civil Supplies department to Chief Secretary in 2014 . However, the government did not even look in to it. But Tewari - according to him - was gathering more details into the scam and this could have been the reason behind his untimely death, he alleged.
Anurag Tewari (36) was the Commissioner in the Food and Civil Supplies Department. He was found dead in Hazratganj, Uttar Pradesh by the side of the road. The mysterious death of Anurag Tewari has raised a doubt whether he was murdered? The postmortem report had stated that he was died of asphyxiation but that has been under dispute, still. Tewari's family - suspecting a foul play - has requested the UP Chief Minister's office to probe into his death. The government has now decided to handover the case to the CBI.
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Read the full text of the letter:
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I am writing this letter with a sense of great pain and anguish as yet another honest IAS officer from Karnataka, Shri Anurag Tiwari has been silenced at a very young age. I feel it is my duty to give certain critical information to all authorities involved in the probing of the mysterious death of Shri Anurag Tiwari as such information is bound to be certainly suppressed by the senior IAS officers including the Chief Secretary in Karnataka. I myself survived three attempts on my life (twice while under police protection that took place after the first attempt was reported in the New York Times) from my seniors for reporting their corrupt activities to various authorities in the Government. My exhaustive documentation from 2005 to 2015 about how corrupt senior officers harass honest junior officers has enabled me to give authentic information about the modus operandi of corrupt IAS mafia to silence the honest officers in Karnataka. I am sure Shri Anurag Tiwari would have revealed to honest officials who worked under him about the threats he was facing from corrupt senior officers. I also did the same thing while I was in Service. But I went to the extreme of informing the very officers who were threatening me for exposing their corrupt activities to hold them accountable and responsible if I was killed.Â
I am giving certain information because even if the case is entrusted to the CBI, the corrupt IAS mafia in Karnataka is so powerful and ruthless that is has the capability to derail proper investigation by tampering documentary evidences to mislead even the CBI. I have also documented how the corrupt officers IAS in Karnataka are so arrogantly confident that they even file false affidavits before Courts in the country to protect corrupt officers
The life of any honest serving officer who wishes to give information about threats to Shri Anurag Tiwari’s life, will be made miserable by corrupt officers. But, in spite of knowing this, that too when all Karnataka IAS officers are keeping quiet, newspapers yesterday have reported about a junior State government official’s commendable act of voluntarily informing the Press about the threats faced by Shri Anurag Tiwari.
Critical verifiable information must not be ignored by the Police investigating the suspicious death of Shri Anurag Tiwari, IAS officer of Karnataka. The following information with details of authentic documentary evidences have been sent to the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh and the DG & IG, UP and also to some serving IPS and IAS officers of UP with a request to bring the content of the letter to the notice of the family members of the deceased Shri Anurag Tiwari. To make things easily understandable, information is given as replies to questions which are being frequently raised about the possibility of Shri Anurag Tiwari being murdered by corrupt officers.
1. Did Shri Anurag Tiwari just before attending training speak to any outsider in Bangalore about scams in Food & Civil Supplies Department?
Shri Anurag Tiwari though reluctant initially, after being confronted with some documents had spoken for about 2 hours before he went for training to some persons from an organisation about the scam in Food & Civil Supplies Department and informed them that he was not being supported by his seniors. He had also informed them to come back for more information after he returned from training. A few days back I was informed by another responsible person in that organisation about some legal impediments in making the information public. As suppression of such critical information would hamper investigation into the death of Shri Anurag Tiwari, I spoke to Shri K V Dhananjay, a Supreme Court Advocate about the legal impediment and he gave certain suggestions. In turn I spoke to a person in that organisation who handles legal matters. He was surprised to hear about the legal impediment as he was the first person to know such things in that organisation! However he informed me that he would speak to me after verification but has not done so far. As I have shared certain critical information related to this with only another person apart from Shri K V Dhananjay, I would like to give details only to the SIT
a. I want to mention here a similar thing which happened in my case. Incidentally an attempt (second) was made on my life after I had informed concerned officers about not taking action on the rampant corruption observed by me in the Authority in which I was working and reported to the Government within less than a week after taking charge. I had given a report based on inputs made available to me by honest officials. I have attached a copy of the email sent by me to the Principal Secretary, Water Resources Department clearly indicating the date on which I would file complaint with the police if no action is taken on my corruption report- Filing complaint against KNNN.pdf. Instead of taking action on my report, to prevent from filing the complaint, an attempt was made in the morning of the very day on which I had informed a week earlier that I would be filing complaint. I have also attached my letter addressed to the Superintendent of Police forwarded to the Home Department immediately after I survived an attempt on my life- MNV 2ndattempt.pdf.
2. Has no one reported corruption scam in Anna Bhagya?-
I was informed in 2014 that huge money was being looted in rice procurement for the Annabhagya program using the following three methods (By this time Newspapers also reported about some of these scams):
a. Procuring substandard rice and paying higher price pocketing a huge commission
b. When there is stock of good rice, procuring already rotten rice at higher price and replacing the good rice with rotten rice and selling the good rice to illegally earn money.Â
c. Making the good rice to deliberately rot to procure fresh rice, to get more commission.
To expose this, I had written the letter No. PER/255/OSD/DPAR/DEM/2014 dated 21st August 2014 to the Chief Secretary with copies to the Lokayukta and other senior officers vested with the responsibility of preventing such scams. Till today, I have not been informed of any action taken on my letter by any of the recipients of my letter. Certainly this could have grown into a huge procurement scam which Shri. Anurag Tiwari could have easily unearthed during a very short time. It is not a leakage as informed to the media now by a senior IAS officer who was earlier heading the Food and Civil Supplies department.
3. Whether one of the methods used in the three attempts to murder me could have also been used in Shri Anurag Tiwari’s case as it can throw light upon many presently unexplainable facts?
b. First attempt made to kill me has been elaborately given in the New York Times report dated 5th July 2007 – http://fightcorruption.wdfiles.com/local--files/start/nyt.JPG .Two former DG and IGPs of Karnataka expressed shock over the reason used to get me out of my house in the middle of the night to get me killed by corrupt IAS officers against whom I had given report. Fortunately in my case, though the people who had come to kill me had got all the other facts thoroughly checked, they had not verified one crucial fact. Otherwise, I would have also gone with them with whatever clothes I was wearing in a state of panic in the middle of the night and would have been found dead the next morning.
c. In the second attempt in September 2007, While I was supposed to be under police protection (24x7), a person claiming to be an officer from the Intelligence Bureau came early in the morning to the guest house in which I was staying and asked me to go with him on the pretext that he had to protect me as my life was under threat. Details of the compliant given to the Superintendent of Police (informed to the Home Department) is attached – MNV 2ndattempt.pdf.
d. In the third attempt in December 2007, I was found unconscious in my own office as a result of tempering of medicines I was taking. Police not taking any action in any of the above cases and other plots to eliminate me in subsequent years have been given in my letter No. PER/94/OSD/DPAR/DEM/2015 dated 17th March 2015.
4. Is it possible to unearth major scams if one has worked for a very short time?
Many are arguing that Shri Anurag Tiwari having worked for less than 40 days in Food and Civil Supplies Department could not have exposed any major scam. All major scams reported by me have been done within a week after taking charge (I have given one such instance earlier in this letter itself). In fact if a senior officer is honest, subordinate honest officials will give details of major scams buried by corrupt officers. All an honest senior officer heading a department has to do is to request any of the honest subordinates to inform him about scams buried. For an IAS officer with integrity and courage, 30 days is more than enough to unearth major scams buried by his predecessors.
5. Are Indian Forensic Laboratories capable of detecting drug administered deaths?
I learnt from a retired police officer that Shri Anurag Tiwari could have been murdered and that a heart attack could be stimulated or simulated. The retired Police officer informed of a case of attempt to murder of another police officer which was carried out by mixing drugs in his food to induce heart attack. While the Indian forensic laboratory gave a report that it was a natural heart attack, after sending the stomach samples to a foreign forensic lab, it was proved that it was a drug induced heart attack. The photograph published in newspapers today showing the manner in which the Police officers and the medical team are trying to reconstruct the death scene of Shri Anurag Tiwari gives rise to doubt their professionalism and certainly finding out that Shri Anurag Tiwari was murdered by something similar to a drug induced heart attack appears to be beyond their capacity. Unfortunately, even though they are aware that their laboratories cannot unearth drug induced murders, they would not admit. Hence the family members must demand that the samples should be properly preserved, secured and sent to a reputed international forensic laboratory.
6. Has Government of Karnataka acted upon corruption reports in which senior IAS officers are involved?
My letter No PER/381/OSD/DPAR/DEM/2014 dated 22nd Nov 2014 sent to various authorities in the country and to all Additional Chief Secretaries exhaustively documents how the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Siddaramiah along with then Chief Secretary Shri Kaushik Mukherjee criminally conspired, to protect corrupt officers against whom I had given report
7. Will the present Chief Secretary, Shri SC Khuntia who himself is being protected by the corrupt IAS mafia hamper proper investigation?
Last para of my letter dated 21st Oct 2016 available at http://depenq.com and Para 6 of my letter dated 12th Oct 2016 also available at http://depenq.com show how the corrupt IAS mafia protected Shri S C Khuntia even after his swindling of government money got established. An officer who willinglysupresses facts from even the Highest Court that too in connection with giving protection to honest officers cannot be expected to reveal confidential information given by the deceased Shri Anurag Tiwari( Records in the Government show that since 1986, I was informing/sending confidential reports about corrupt practices indulged into by my senior officers).
Last para of my letter dated 21st Oct 2016 available at http://depenq.com and Para 6 of my letter dated 12th Oct 2016 also available at http://depenq.com show how the corrupt IAS mafia protected Shri S C Khuntia even after his swindling of government money got established. An officer who willinglysupresses facts from even the Highest Court that too in connection with giving protection to honest officers cannot be expected to reveal confidential information given by the deceased Shri Anurag Tiwari( Records in the Government show that since 1986, I was informing/sending confidential reports about corrupt practices indulged into by my senior officers).
8. Can Senior Police officers in Karnataka who have always been willing to act as per the whims of Shri Kempaiah, Advisor to the Home Minister, ignoring public interest, be expected to act professionally in this case?
This becomes particularly important when Shri Kempaiah’s antecedents have been admitted to the media by the then Chief Secretary to have not been verified at all before appointing him as Adviser. Information made available at http://depenq.com/PDFF/KEMP.pdf shows not only corruption but crimes increased after Shri Kempaiah was appointed as Adviser. Newspaper reports stating that a Deputy Director of a forensic laboratory was present unofficially during the post mortem of Sri Anurag Tiwari and was trying to influence the doctors to give a report of natural death as the cause, brings back memories of Shri Kempaiah’s unauthorized presence during the post mortem of Shri DK. Ravi, an IAS officer from Karnataka who was found hanging in his house. Investigation should probe who had sent the Deputy Director to be unofficially present during the post mortem of Shri Anurag Tiwari.
9. Whether the CBI can be expected to conduct a professional investigation?
A CBI officer investigating the death of Shri DK Ravi(an IAS officer from Karnataka), visited my house in 2015 to collect certain letters written by me to the Chief Secretary which were deliberately suppressed by the then Chief Secretary Shri Koushik Mukherji. During the discussion, the surprising fact that got revealed was that the ceiling fan from which Shri DK Ravi’s body was found hanging did not contain any fingerprints, including Shri DK. Ravi’s nor were any materials found which were used to wipe the fan of all dust containing the fingerprints. Why would a person about to die be not only was concerned about removing his fingerprints from the ceiling fan but also found it important to remove all traces of the materials used to wipe the fan clean has remained a mystery till today. Further, the presence of Sri Kempaiah, Advisor to the Home Minister, during the post mortem allowed scope for the tampering of medical evidences. The demand for second post portem of the body of DK Ravi was not considered at all gives an indication that even the CBI investigation is not professional. The CBI officer also stated that the documentary evidences in my case clearly established that the senior officers against whom I had given reports repeatedly conspired to get me killed. He voluntarily revealed even a more dangerous fact that an attempt was made on his own life when he was investigating the corruption case against an IAS officer. The fact that a former Director of the CBI has been charge sheeted for interfering with the investigation into a major corruption scam involving IAS officers gives an impression that the IAS mafia in the country is very powerful and can take control of the investigation conducted by the highest agencies in the country. All my police complaints and the corruption complaints given to the Lokayukta have not been acted upon till today. Decision is pending in my own case filed before a competent authority against Chief Secretaries who conspired to get me killed. In that case, the CVC and the CBI were suo moto made parties by the competent authority.
10. Are thereevidences to show that any officer exposing the corrupt acts of his seniors being criminally harassed and even attempts made to murder such an officer in Karnataka?
i. My own case- Though being a very senior IAS officer, details of how I was physically/financially/mentally harassed for reporting corrupt activities of my senior officers and repeatedly refusing to compromise with corruption are available at http://depenq.com and http://fightcorruption.wikidot.com/ in particular in a summarised manner for the period 2006 to 2010 at http://fightcorruption.wikidot.com/mar26 ) I have survived three attempts on my life (twice while under police protection) Officers involved in the conspiracy to get me killed were not only protected but were also rewarded with promotions and post retirement jobs by the Chief Secretary. (Letter No. PER/402/OSD/DPAR/DEM/2013 dated 26th Oct 2013 addressed to the Chief Secretary with copies to the CVC, the CBI, the Lokayukta and 5 other officers available at http://depenq.com/PDFF/SVR.pdf ). How the police was pressurised not to act against those who attempted to murder me is given in my letter No. PER/94/OSD/DPAR/DEM/2015 dated 17th March 2015 addressed to the Chief Secretary to place my letter before the State Cabinet.
ii. Cases of others officers like Shri DK.Ravi (found hanging in his house), Smt Rashmi (physically attacked), Shri Mahantesh(murdered), Shri Matthai (being harassed) , Kum. Anupanma Shenoy (was forced to resign) all available on the internet.
iii. I have documented very large number of cases of very junior honest State government officials driven to suicide by their corrupt bosses and how corrupt Chief Secretaries allowed such honest officials to lose their lives ignoring my innumerable letters to give protection to honest officials are available in my letter No PER/181/OSD/DPAR/DEM/2014 dated 26th Jun 2014
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11. Whether threat to life reported by honest officers to their seniors are seriously acted upon.
Corruption by senior officers reported by a junior officer and threats to his life from corrupt senior officers are both treated as delusional. Corrupt senior officers do not hesitate to question the mental health of the junior officer for reporting senior officers’ corrupt acts. This brazen intimidation on record puts fear in the minds of honest officers to report about corruption by seniors. This happens because Chief Secretaries of Karnataka since 2006 have deliberately not created the system to protect honest officers as per the 2004 letter of the Cabinet Secretary issued after the murder of the Whistle-blower Sri. Satyendra Dubey. Please see attached letter sent by me to then Hon’ble Prime Minister Whistle-Blowers Protection Bill.pdf). Further, non-notification of the Whistle-blower’s Protection Act passed in 2014 has emboldened the corrupt senior officers to indulge in harassment of honest junior officers in a brazen manner http://depenq.com . There is absolutely no forum for the honest officers to approach as even the CVC and the CBI do not have jurisdiction to address the harassment /corruption complaints given by All India Service officers working in various State governments. The Hota Committee appointed by the Government of India went out of its scope to mention this critical fact and even suggested to address this issue immediately probably because of my innumerable letters addressed in this regard to the Government of India. The issue is still pending and government of India has not taken any action.
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Last Updated Mar 31, 2018, 6:59 PM IST
