Patna: A young Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer committed suicide by jumping in front of a speeding train late Thursday evening, officials said on Friday. The victim, identified as Mukesh Kumar Pandey, was serving as the District Magistrate (DM) of Buxar. This is the first time in Bihar an IAS official has ended his life this way.

Officials said Pandey, a promising official, had left for Delhi on Thursday morning saying his maternal uncle had suffered a serious heart attack. Upon reaching Delhi, however, he checked into a posh hotel and sent a message to his relatives on WhatsApp that evening informing them of his intent to commit suicide by jumping off the 10th floor of the hotel.

His family informed the police, who rushed to the building, but before they could locate him, he rushed to Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and flung himself before the running train, leading to his instantaneous demise, police said. The police recovered his mutilated body from the railway track late on Thursday night. Officials said his severed head was found lying some four metres away from his body on the track.

The police also recovered a suicide note from his pocket that mentioned a bigger suicide note in his bag in the hotel room. “I am Mukesh Pandey, IAS 2012 batch, Bihar cadre presently posted as DM, Buxur. I am committing suicide of my own volition and after my death, please inform my relatives about my suicide,” said the hand-written note recovered from his pocket. The note had four telephone numbers for people who were to be informed of his death.

The other suicide note, recovered from his hotel room, said he “was fed with life and my belief in human existence is gone”. As per reports, the official was mentally disturbed due to tension in his family. His father-in-law has an automobile business in Patna and his wife was reported by media to be handling the business.

Ironically, the official had joined as the DM barely a week ago and that was the first big posting in his administrative career.

The victim was a very promising official and had secured all-India 14th position in the coveted Union Public Service Commission, considered among the toughest competitive tests in India to select officials. He hailed from Saran district of Bihar.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar today expressed grief over his death. “Mukesh Kumar Pandey’s death is a very heart-rending incident. He was an efficient administrator and a sensitive officer ... May his soul rest in peace,” the chief minister said in his condolence message on Friday.