Former CBI director Ashwani Kumar commits suicide at Shimla home

Retired IPS officer Ashwani Kumar was found dead at his home in Shimla on Wednesday. Kumar, 69, had served as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Governor of Nagaland. Reports suggest that he had been depressed for the past few weeks. A suicide note has been found.

Local police team and medical personnel from Shimla's Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital have rushed to Kumar's house.

Kumar, a retired IPS officer of 1973 batch from Himachal Pradesh cadre, served as Assistant Superintendent of Police in the districts of Mandi and Kangra from 1975 to 1977. He later posted as Superintendent of Police in the tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti and later at Solan and Shimla.

In 1985, Kumar was selected for induction in the Special Protection Group (SPG) responsible for the security of the Prime Minister of India. He worked in the SPG from 1985 to 1990 in various capacities including that of Assistant Director in the Prime Minister's Office.

In August 2006, Kumar was appointed as the Director General of Police of the State of Himachal Pradesh. After two years, in July 2008, he was appointed as the CBI Director. He retired from CBI in November 2010 and went into academics.As an academician, Kumar was a visiting faculty to many universities, colleges and institutions where he instructed on Human Resources Management, Organizational Behavior and Leadership at the Jindal Global Business School to MBA students. He also provided guidance to the Research Centre for Penology, Criminal Justice and Police Studies in the Jindal Global Law School and the Research Centre for Leadership and Change in the Jindal Global Business School. He also was associated with National Police Academy, Hyderabad.

On March 21, 2013, Kumar was sworn in as the 29th Governor of Nagaland. He held the office till 2014. He also briefly served as the Governor of Manipur.