Reputed Kathak dancer Bireshwar Gautam found dead

Internationally acclaimed Kathak dancer Bireshwar Gautam alias Biru was on Saturday found dead in mysterious circumstances at his residence in suburban Oshiwara in Mumbai, the police said.

Biru's body was found lying at his residence with some marks in the neck, Assistant Commissioner of Police Dilip Suryawanshi said.

"The Kathak dancer's body was found by one of his students, who was trying

to contact him since morning,' Suryawanshi said, adding that a case of murder has been registered.

The cause of his death could be ascertained only after the autopsy, Suryawanshi said. The body has been sent for post-mortem to Cooper hospital, he added.

Biru heads the department of Kathak at the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Vashi, in Navi Mumbai and the 'Sur Jhankar' academy at the ISKON, Juhu.