Katni Collector Ashish Tiwari apologises with folded hands after six of a family die in Diwali night fire

Six members of one family died in a tragic incident on Diwali night in Katni. A video of the district Collector, Ashish Tiwari, surfaced on Wednesday in which he is seen apologising to people with folded hands. He expressed grief over the incident and acknowledged that the administrative system needs improvement.

The incident took place in Barhi, Katni. A fire broke out on Diwali night in the three-storey house of Puran Agrawal, brother-in-law of Durga. Six members of the family died in the fire. Among the dead is an infant aged two months.

Amid the talk of the Collector's apology, details of his education and career are also coming to light. Ashish Tiwari is an IAS officer of the 2016 batch. He secured the sixth rank in the country in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2015.

Tiwari hails from Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh. His father was an engineer, and Tiwari too initially wanted to become an engineer. He studied in Hindi medium up to Class 8. He then completed his schooling at Saraswati Shishu Mandir and the government Excellence School in Chhatarpur.

After Class 12, he cleared the All India Engineering Entrance Examination and took admission in mechanical engineering at NIT Jamshedpur. On completing the degree, he got a job at Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).

Even while working, his aim was to become an IAS officer, so he continued preparing for the UPSC examination. After leaving the job to prepare, he succeeded in his second attempt. He became an IAS officer in the 2015 examination with the sixth rank.

After this rank, Tiwari drew attention across the country. He trained at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) along with IAS officer Tina Dabi, who secured the first rank in the same examination.

About a year ago, Tiwari took charge as Katni Collector. Before that, he was working as a deputy secretary. As an IAS officer, he has contributed to administrative responsibilities as well as development and public welfare work.