Senior IAS officer Beela Venkatesan passed away at her residence in Chennai on Wednesday. She was 55, and is survived by her mother and two daughters.

She was on a long leave, and had been undergoing treatment for an illness for the past three months, a family member said. She was serving as the Secretary of the Energy Department.

She was the daughter of former DGP L.N. Venkatesan and former legislator Rani Venkatesan. The 1997-batch IAS officer had held senior positions in the Tamil Nadu government, and was among those who served as Health Secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A native of Kanniyakumari district, the IAS officer was also a doctor. She initially served in Bihar, and was later shifted to Tamil Nadu. She had also served in Jharkhand.

She had served as Special Officer in

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