Former CBI director Ashwani Kumar has died by committing suicide at his residence in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday and he had left his suicide note, which the state police had recovered and the law enforcement agency has recorded the statements from the family members. 

According to reports, Ashwani Kumar was found hanging at his home in Shimla at around 7.10 pm on Wednesday when his son and daughter-in-law weren't in the home. Both had shocked to see him hanging from the ceiling after they returned to the home following which they informed the police about the incident. 

After learning that Ashwani Kumar, who was also the Former Director General of Police (DGP) Himachal Pradesh, had committed suicide, the current DGP, Sanjay Kundu, had arrived at the spot and the police officials had recovered the body. Kundu has confirmed that his predecessor had died by suicide and recovered a suicide note in which Kumar hadn't blamed anyone for his death.

In his suicide note, Ashwani Kumar had written, "I am fed-up with my disease and disability thus ending this life. My soul will embark upon a new journey now. Nobody is responsible for my decision".  While the investigation, the family members confirmed that Kumar was taking antidepressants, which is a drug used to prevent or treat depression. 

The police had recorded the statements from the family members and it has been reported that Ashwani Kumar had also gone for a walk on the morning hours of Wednesday and he has also visited a  local temple. The police had recovered the body and taken under their possession for conducting the autopsy on Thursday morning.  

Ashwani Kumar has held powerful posts and offices during his lifetime and he was one of the known faces on the circle of police and investigative agencies. The 1973-batch IPS officer had also served as the DGP of Himachal Pradesh from 2006 to 2008 and he has then become CBI director and served in that post from 2008 to 2010. 

After serving as the CBI director, Kumar, who was a native of Sirmaur district, had also served as Governor of Manipur and Nagaland. He returned to the state and he had served as the chancellor of APG Goyal Shimla University and he resigned from the post in 2018. Kumar was surviving by his wife Chanda, a son and daughter-in-law.