BHOPAL: Unable to bear the trauma of harassment by his police station in-charge at Gandhi Jayanti program, a 55-year-old police head constable allegedly committed suicide at his quarter in Bhind district on Monday evening.
The head constable identified as Ram Kumar Shukla consumed poison at his quarter in the Raun police station premises.
He took the extreme step just a few hours after he was allegedly harassed mentally and physically by the Raun police station in-charge Surendra Singh Gaur for not digging pits during the Swachchta program to mark Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in Raun police station premises.
Shukla died at a hospital in Gwalior district during the course of treatment late on Monday night.
Acting in the matter, the Bhind district superintendent of police Anil Singh Kushwah has attached to district police lines, the Raun police station in-charge Surendra Singh Gaur. "An officer of a different police circle will probe the allegations levelled by head constable Ram Kumar Shukla against the Raun police station in-charge," SP Bhind Anil Singh Kushwah told The New Indian Express on Tuesday.
Irked over the incident, the kin of the deceased head constable have demanded lodging case of abetment of suicide and criminal conspiracy against the Raun police station in-charge as well as SP Bhind. They have also sought arrest of the duo officials and termination of their services, failing which the deceased cop's kin would protest outside SP Bhind's office on Tuesday.
They have also demanded job for a dependent on the dead cop on compassionate grounds.
Importantly, on being harassed by his police station in-charge on Monday, the head constable Ram Kumar Shukla had rung the SP Bhind and narrated the prolonged torture by Raun police station in-charge since five days.
He had also alleged rampant corruption at Raun police station.
During the phone conversation (whose audio has gone viral now), when the SP told Shukla that he was being sent to district police lines, the head constable had told the SP that since his grievances were not being addressed even by the SP, hence he will not come alive to the police lines, instead his body would be brought there.
Meanwhile, at least two videos and an audio of Shukla before and after consuming poison have gone viral over there social media.
In one the videos, Shukla is seen telling that despite being a liver patient, he was being forced by the Raun police station in-charge during the Gandhi Jayanti Swachchta program to dig pits with a spade in police station premises.
Shukla is seen adding in the videos that when he refused to pick a spade and dig pits, the police station in-charge Surendra Singh Gaur snatched the saw from Shukla. The police station in-charge while verbally abusing Shukla physically assaulted the head constable with the saw and a stick.
Shukla adds in the video that the Raun police station in-charge subsequently rang the Bhind SP and made false allegations of Shukla creating nuisance at the police station.