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Tamil Nadu: Suicides among police personnel second-highest in India

NCRB data shows that the state has the highest number of cop suicides after Maharashtra. During the period 2006-13, 216 police personnel in Tamil Nadu committed suicide.

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Political parties are calling for an enquiry into the death of 27-year-old police officer Vishnupriya to ascertain whether it was a result of work pressure. The officer allegedly committed suicide on September 18 in Tiruchengode at Namakkal, reports the Deccan Chronicle

Media reports state that Vishnupriya was investigating the murder case of a Dalit youth, Gokulraj. The main accused in that case has been absconding. One of her friends who has spoken to the media said that Vishnupriya was allegedly under pressure to arrest some innocent people in the Gokulraj case. She had been upset about the goings-on in the investigation of the murder case.

But policewoman Vishnupriya’s case of suicide is not the first in the state. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), at least 27 police personnel commit suicide each year in Tamil Nadu. The state in fact ranks second to Maharashtra in the number of suicides in the police force.

During the period 2006-13, 216 police personnel in Tamil Nadu committed suicide. While officers of the rank of DSP to DGP are mandated an annual medical checkup, there isn't such a provision for lower ranking police officers.

While it is not clear if the cause of the suicides of police personnel in the state is solely due to work pressure, it is a figure that is alarming. Some cops, like Vishnupriya, who face work pressure have taken their lives or attempted to in the past. Last year, constable Bommi tried to commit suicide by consuming poison due to excess work pressure. Her request for change of duty had been turned down and she took the extreme step. However, she was rushed to hospital and survived.

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