Second mysterious death of an IAS in 4 months; UP principal secretary Harminder Raj Singh described to be ebullient and jovial

THE second incident of suicide of a senior IAS officer in just four months has raised a number of questions from high work pressure and personal depression among bureaucrats to the possibility of a well-crafted murder. Principal secretary of UP government and 1978 batch UP cadre IAS Harminder Raj Singh allegedly committed suicide on Sunday morning, barely four months after Jagada Nanda Panda, a 1983 batch IAS of Orissa cadre and his family were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Bargarh district of Orissa. Whereas Mr Panda, who worked in the ministry of overseas affairs in New Delhi, was believed to be upset over a CBI raid in his residence, there are only speculations of what prompted 56-year-old Singh who was handling important projects including UP chief minister Mayawati's dream project of Ambedkar Park in Lucknow (See picture), to take this extreme step. Mr Singh's friends have claimed that he was a very jovial person and even danced in a party just one night before the fateful day. Even UP IAS association's resolution on Monday described Singh as an ebullient and jovial person, hinting at a rejection of Singh being described as "unwell and depressed".

Who is Harminder Raj Singh? Cadre: UP Batch: 1978, IAS Date of Birth: September 13, 1953 Place of Domicile: Punjab Mother Tongue: Punjabi Educational Qualifications MA in English Diploma in financial management

Major postings a) Collector, Deoria district (From June 1, 1984 to June 1, 1986) b) Collector & D M (Dy Secretary Level) Jhansi district, (November1, 1990 to June 1, 1991) c) Director, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Pub Enterprises (From July 1, 1993 to February 1, 1998) d) Member (Finance), Joint Secy Equivalent in the ministry of Commerce & Industry, Bureau of Indl Costs & Prices (BICP), (From February 2, 1998 to July 9, 1998) e) Secretary, (JS Level) Industries, UP govt (From July 20, 1998 to December 11, 1998) f) Joint Secy, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, (From July 18, 2001 to October 31, 2006) Foreign Training a) University of Birmingham, UK, 16 weeks, (1988) b) Management of Public Sector Enterprises, 6 weeks, Australia (1994)

Read: Death of Jagada Nanda Panda, a 1983 batch IAS of Orissa cadre (August 1, 2009) Action & Appointments Vice Admiral Robin Dhowan, who was the Commandant of the prestigious National Defence Academy, took over today as the deputy chief of naval staff. A navigation and direction specialist, Vice Admiral Dhowan is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (45th Course C Sqn) and the Defence Services Staff College. He has undergone various courses in India and abroad including the Sea Harrier Direction course at Yeovilton, UK and the Naval Command Course at Naval War College, Rhode Island, USA.