He also initiated a probe into the alleged Commonwealth Games scam, and it was under his tenure that a charge sheet in the alleged Sohrabuddin fake encounter case was filed against now Home Minister Amit Shah.

New Delhi: Former CBI director Ashwani Kumar, was found dead at his residence in Shimla Wednesday evening in an apparent suicide. He was 70. 

According to sources in Himachal Pradesh Police, which Kumar headed as director general of police (DGP) between 2006 and 2008, he was found hanging in his room.

A team of police officers, and one from Shimla’s Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, has been rushed to Mr. Kumar’s home.

A police officer said his family was shocked because Kumar had not shown any signs of depression. “The family is in shock. He was fine till this evening. It is unclear what made him take that step.

The investigation is on,” the officer added, without divulging more on the case or commenting on the contents of the suicide note.

“We found a suicide note in which he wrote that he is ending his life due to disease and disability, of his own free will. He said his soul is embarking on a new journey and everyone needed to be happy, and that there should be no rituals or ceremonies,” the DGP told media.

He also served as governor of Manipur. Kumar resigned from the post of Nagaland governor in 2014 and have resigned under prodding from the then newly-sworn-in Modi government as it sought to remove UPA Governors.

When he returned to his home state after his resignation as Nagaland governor, he served as chancellor at APG Goyal Shimla University but quit in 2018.

Dealt with important cases in CBI

Kumar served as CBI director between 2008 and 2010, leading investigations into cases like the Aarushi Talwar murder case, where he overturned the initial CBI findings and constituted a fresh team that then accused the parents of the crime. 

The parents were given a life sentence by a CBI court in 2013 but acquitted by the Allahabad High Court in 2017.

He also initiated a probe into the alleged Commonwealth Games scam, and it was under his tenure that a charge sheet in the alleged Sohrabuddin fake encounter case was filed against now Home Minister Amit Shah.

He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. 

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