IPCC investigating teacher's Tube 'suicide'

2:11pm Monday 19th May 2008

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the death of the Hounslow school teacher hit by a train at Osterley Tube station last Tuesday.

Met officers had arrested Lampton School tutor Savraj Powar, 43, at his home in Osterley earlier that morning. But as officers carried out their enquiries, he drove away from the house.

A short time later his body was discovered at Osterley Tube station in a suspected suicide attempt. He had been hit by an eastbound Piccadilly line train at the station at 9.15am in front of a crowd of commuters and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A postmortem examination revealed the cause of his death to be multiple injuries.

Mr Powar, who was married with two sons, was being investigated by Hounslow's Child Protection Team on suspicion of inappropriate conduct with a pupil at his school, and had been suspended from his post there.

After Mr Powar's inquest was opened and adjourned, the Met referred the death to the IPCC once it had conducted initial inquiries.

IPCC Commissioner for south-west London, Nicola Williams, said: "We will direct and control the Metropolitan Police Service's investigation. Copies of the investigation report will go to HM Coroner, the Metropolitan Police and the family."

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