SIT to quiz IAS officer Tewari's guest house roommate

Lucknow/Bengaluru, May 20: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh police will question Karnataka cadre IAS officer Anurag Tewari’s friend and fellow IAS officer, P N Singh, who is said to have stayed with him in the government guest house in Lucknow the night before the former was found dead on May 17.

Tewari, who was Commissioner, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department in Karnataka, was found lying on the roadside a few metres from Meerabai Guest House in Hazratganj locality of Lucknow. Investigators have inspected the room where he had stayed as well as the place where his body was found, a police source said. The is no CCTV footage of Tewari’s departure from the guest house. What’s more, the guest house does not have any record of anybody visiting Tewari during his stay, the source said.

A police officer who is part of the investigation refused to disclose the progress of the probe. The police source, however, said the SIT would submit its report to the Uttar Pradesh government in 72 hours.

The post-mortem of Tewari’s body has remained inconclusive. Doctors have preserved his viscera and heart for forensic examination. Tewari’s family has raised suspicion over the investigation and demanded a CBI probe into his mysterious death.

CM seeks ‘thorough’ probe

In a letter to his UP counterpart Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Tewari was an upright IAS officer, and his untimely and unfortunate demise had caused great anguish.

“It is very important that the death is thoroughly investigated by a competent team of investigators and professionals. I would request you to kindly direct the authorities concerned to do the needful,” the chief minister said.

Home Minister G Parameshwara held a meeting with top police officers to discuss issues related to the death of the officer in the wake of the possible arrival of the SIT team. Among those present was Bengaluru Police Commissioner Praveen Sood.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Parameshwara said the Karnataka government would fully co-operate with the SIT. “We still do not know the cause of death. Even if CBI investigation is required to know the cause of death, we will extend full co-operation,” he said.

He said Karnataka had no objection if Uttar Pradesh referred the case to the CBI. Karnataka cannot refer the case to the CBI as the death has taken place in Uttar Pradesh, he pointed out.

Responding to the allegation by the Karnataka unit of the BJP that Tewari’s death was linked to the “Rs 2,000-crore scam” he was to expose in the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Parameshwara dared the BJP leaders to support the allegation with evidence. “Let them (BJP leaders) raise this so-called scam in the legislature session that begins on June 5. The BJP can also ask the Uttar Pradesh government to order a CBI probe and give all the evidence it has to the CBI, he added.

In a letter to Adityanath, BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje requested him to refer the case to the CBI.