Stress taking toll on Uttar Pradesh cops!

By Rajat Rai

Lucknow: Yet another cop of the Uttar Pradesh committed suicide by shooting himself with his service revolver in Ghaziabad on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Wednesday morning when Sub Inspector Vijay Kumar, who was posted in the Kavi Nagar police station took the extreme step. Although no suicide note was recovered.

According to the sources, the cop was under depression and could not take up the extreme work pressure.

This was the 5th such incident in the past six month in which the cops of UP (ranging from a constable to a sub inspector to a Addition Superintendent of Police (PPS) and an IPS could not take up the work pressure and committed suicide.

The reasons ranged from work pressure, depression, work hours leading to family disputes, etc.

Here are the names of police officers who committed suicide:

2nd Oct: UPP Sub Inspector Tara Babu shot himself with his service revolver in Farrukhabad. Though no suicide note was recovered, sources informed that he underwent treatment for some mental ailment for a few months earlier this year and was transferred to the Fatehgarh police station a couple of days ago.(Pic attached)

30th Sept: 25 year old UPP constable Monika committed suicide by hanging herself. Monika joined the force in 2016 and was posted at the Haidergarh police station. Her suicide not stated that she was posted in the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) was continuously assigned duties outside the rules and regulations. “I approached SHO Fatehgarh with a leave application on 29th Sept and he thew it on my face”, she added in her note. (pic attached)

9th Sept: 2014 batch IPS officer Surendra Das succumbed five days after consuming poison. He was posted as the SP (East) in Kanpur. Though in his suicide not, he said that it is his personal decision, sources in the police informed that he was fed up with the daily dispute with his wife. (file photo with family)

29th May: PPS officer Rajesh Sahni shot himself in his office in the Gomti Nagar locality of Lucknow. According to information, Sahni’s leave was sanctioned from May 28th and he reached his office the next day in the afternoon to wind up some official work. However, gunshots were heard soon and Sahni was found lying in a pool of blood. (file pic in office)

1st Oct: SDM of Madawra (PCS officer) Himendra Kumar committed suicide by shooting himself point blank at his official residence in the Lalitpur district where he was living alone. No suicide note was recovered and according to sources, there were health issues in the family.(pic attached)

What does DGP UP, OP Singh, said?

“Be it a constable, a sub inspector or an IPS officer, everyone has work related stress round the clock. However, we do not bother about it and give our 100 per cent to our duty. They also face other kind of stress also and such a tendency (to commit suicide) develops because of it”.

What does Dr. Pradeep Kumar Yadav Psychiatrist said?

These are clear cases of planned acts and are mostly impulsive. Accumulation of stress is also a reason as the deceased have not been in a position to share their problems. I would suggest that a work stress screening program or workshop should be held in the police department on regular basis.”

Here are the pics: