Cop threatens to kill self before top cop

A constable at the main control room on Tuesday night received a call on his phone line which is dedicated for those who have to report any emergency activity to the police. The constable picked up the phone and could not believe what he heard.

There was a head constable on the other end, informing him that he would be committing suicide in front of the commissioner's office on Wednesday morning. “I will douse myself in kerosene and then set myself on fire,” he thundered over the phone.

The reason was — he had recently been transferred to the Local Arms (LA) department and he did not want to go there because he had served in LA for 26 years at a stretch and was transferred to the DB Marg police station three years ago. “I have worked in the LA for 26 years. I don’t want to go back there,” he said.

The constable on duty immediately informed his superiors about the development. The control room flung into action and traced the call to head constable Eknath Jawale. He was staying at the police quarters in Bhoiwada.

A police team brought him from his home to the Bhoiwada police station. He was asked to stay at the station throughout Wednesday. Later in the evening he was taken to the DB Marg police station. His transfer order is likely to be cancelled. A senior officer said Jawale had been asked to stay in the police station to ensure that he did not take any drastic step.