CHENNAI: A 28-year-old Armed Reserve police personnel allegedly shot himself while on duty at the house of an HC judge on Greenways Road, on Wednesday. Police said Saravanan of Tirunelveli joined the Armed Reserve police in 2013. “He was posted at the house of the HC judge on 9 am and around 5 pm, when his duty was about to come to an end, he shot himself with his self-loading rifle (SLR). On hearing the loud bang, the other personnel on duty at nearby houses rushed to the spot to find him bleeding at the guard room inside the premises,” said a police officer. Saravanan was rushed to the Royapettah GH, from where he was shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital. Later at night he was shifted to Apollo Hospitals, where his condition was very critical, said the police.
The police said he returned from his hometown on Tuesday night and hence they suspected some problem within the family. The police also found a suicide note in which he blamed none for his death and said he took the extreme step because he did not want to live anymore. He has also addressed his siblings and parents. “Give my insurance money to parents. If you decide to bury me or cremate me, do it with my uniform one,” the note read. Abhiramapuram police registered a case and are investigating.
On February 3, K Manikandan from Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion shot himself while on duty at the office of Inspector General of Police at Kilpauk Armed Reserve headquarters.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)