✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Amitabh Thakur

Amitabh Thakur biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Amitabh Thakur Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 3, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth16 June 1968

Age53 Years (as of 2021)

BirthplaceMuzaffarpur, Bihar

ProfessionCivil Servant (Retired IPS Officer)

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseNutan Thakur

FamilySon - Aditya; Daughter - Tanya; Father - Tapeshwar Narayan Thakur; Brother - Avinash Kumar (IAS)

Amitabh Thakur Biography

Amitabh Thakur is a retired Indian Police Service officer of the 1992 Uttar Pradesh cadre who later became a grassroots activist focused on transparency, a

Early life and background

Amitabh Thakur was born on 16 June 1968 in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He spent his early years in what is today Bokaro, Jharkhand, and completed his senior secondary education in the non-medical stream at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in 1985. He earned a Bachelor of Technology in mechanical engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1989 and later completed a doctoral-level FPM (PhD) programme at IIM Lucknow in 2013.

Career

Thakur joined the Indian Police Service in the 1992 batch, allocated to the Uttar Pradesh cadre. Over his career he served in a variety of departments including Vigilance, Anti-Corruption, Intelligence and at a Police Training Academy. He was appointed superintendent of police in ten districts of Uttar Pradesh and was later promoted to Inspector General in the state’s Civil Defence department.

His career featured frequent transfers and official inquiries. In 2005 he was suspended from the post of superintendent of police amid criticism for issuing arms licences that were later questioned; Thakur publicly defended his actions as administrative clearance of pending files. He also carried out administrative decisions such as transferring a police station in-charge following local protests in Ferozabad, an episode that he has said helped turn him toward activism.

Thakur sought and obtained study leave to join the four-year FPM programme at IIM Lucknow after administrative resistance and legal appeals that involved the Central Administrative Tribunal and the High Court. The Tribunal eventually sanctioned two years of leave.

Activism and organisations

Alongside his policing career, Thakur developed an activist profile. In 2010 he founded the National Right To Information Forum in Lucknow, an organisation working under the provisions of the 2005 Right to Information Act. He is also the founder of the Institute for Research and Documentation (IRDS), a human rights organisation. His wife, Nutan Thakur, is active in related work as a social activist and advocate in Lucknow.

Public profile

Thakur’s public life has been marked by disputes and high-profile complaints. In 2014 his family sought protection after a complaint was filed by his wife before the Lok Ayukta against the state mining minister alleging illegal mining. In 2015 a woman filed a rape complaint naming Amitabh Thakur; the Thakurs denied the allegations and described them as retaliatory in relation to the mining complaint. A criminal case was registered in July 2015, and shortly afterward the state government suspended him citing indiscipline, dereliction of duty, alleged misuse of government resources and other service rule violations.

Also in 2015, an RTI activist alleged that Thakur and his wife held multiple properties and had not fully disclosed assets; Thakur acknowledged ownership of several properties, including some ancestral holdings, and said he would cooperate with any investigation. In the same year he publicised an audio recording of a phone conversation in which he said former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had threatened him; Thakur later staged a strike seeking action over that alleged threat.

Thakur has used public campaigns and legal avenues to challenge content and actions he viewed as offensive or unlawful. In 2011 he lodged a complaint that resulted in the removal of a Facebook group posting abusive comments about Mahatma Gandhi. He has also said he recorded the dying declaration of a journalist in 2015 that he believed pointed to ministerial involvement in the journalist’s death. His activism has included filing numerous cases with authorities.

Personal life

Amitabh Thakur is married to Nutan Thakur. The couple have two children: a son, Aditya, and a daughter, Tanya, both noted as lawyers. His father is Tapeshwar Narayan Thakur; his brother Avinash Kumar serves as an Indian Administrative Service officer in the Jharkhand cadre. Thakur’s reported physical characteristics include a height of approximately 162 cm, black eyes and salt-and-pepper hair.

Latest updates

Following the events of 2015 and administrative action against him, Thakur sought a change of cadre from Uttar Pradesh to the Union Home Ministry citing harassment and threats; that request was denied in 2017. Public records show that Amitabh Thakur and his wife have continued to pursue activism and legal interventions, and that they have filed a substantial number of cases and complaints as part of their public work.
◈

Recent Work

Founder, National Right To Information Forum

Established a Lucknow-based organisation operating under the 2005 Right to Information Act to promote grassroots accountability.

2010
Founder, Institute for Research and Documentation (IRDS)

Set up a human rights research and documentation organisation.

✦

Career Highlights

  1. Joined Indian Police Service, 1992 batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre
  2. Served as Superintendent of Police in ten districts of Uttar Pradesh
  3. Appointed Inspector General in the Civil Defence department
  4. Founded the National Right To Information Forum (2010)
  5. Founded the Institute for Research and Documentation (IRDS)
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Amitabh Thakur born?

16 June 1968

What is Amitabh Thakur known for?

Civil Servant (Retired IPS Officer)

What is Amitabh Thakur’s marital status?

Married

Who is Amitabh Thakur married to?

Nutan Thakur