Police lathi charged people in Kolar district of Karnataka on Tuesday after they staged a protest over the death of IAS officer DK Ravi.
Preliminary investigations suggested that D.K. Ravi committed suicide at his official residence in Bengaluru's Koramangala area.
An officer of 2009 batch, the 36-year-old officer was an Additional Commissioner on deputation with the Commercial Tax department.
"Prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide. His body was found hanging from a ceiling fan," Police Commissioner M N Reddi told reporters.
He added that Ravi's wife found him hanging tied to a piece of cloth in their apartment.
Police said the officer's dead body was discovered around lunch time in the flat.
Police said they are likely to analyze Ravi's mobile records, entry records of his apartment's reception, and CCTV cameras fitted in the vicinity.
State Home Minister K J George, Energy Minister D K Shiv Kumar, Congress lawmaker from Kolar District K R Ramesh Kumar and a dozen senior tax officials paid condolence visits on the Ravi family on hearing about his death.
George said that all angles will be looked into to determine what caused Ravi's death. He also described the death as a great loss to the state of Karnataka.
