Allow me to kill myself: cop begs senior officer

Mumbai: A police constable attached to Bandra Government Railway Police (GRP), attempted suicide by consuming phenyl inside the police station in front of his senior who he accuses of persecuting him for no reason. Constable Ganesh Bharat Kamble (34) alleged that he couldn't take the mental torture Senior Inspector Vijay Dhopavkar would inflict on him routinely.

About 7.30 pm on January 25, Kamble met Dhopavkar in his cabin and gave him a letter stating that he was fed up with him and wanted to kill himself. "Dhopavkar laughed at me, and pointing his cell phone camera towards me, said that if I committed suicide right then, he would record it live," said Kamble, narrating the incident. Kamble felt humiliated, and in his anguish, downed two bottles of phenyl he was carrying in his pocket, he later said.

Kamble alleged that Dhopavkar did not bother to rush him to the hospital. "He abused me in front of the other staff and asked them to arrest me," Kamble said. But the staff rushed him to Bhabha hospital, from where he was discharged on Friday. He is out of danger.

Accusations galore

Kamble said that Dhopavkar unnecessarily tormented the staff. "He extorts lump sums from people but accuses the staff of doing that. My four-year-old son Tejas is undergoing kidney treatment, and I had to visit him at the hospital so I took a leave. But Dhopavkar produced a misleading report to the department, showing me in an irresponsible light. He frequently sends us personal memos to rebuke us and treats us like beggars," Kamble said.

Records made available by Kamble show that he is entitled to a salary of Rs 18,000 per month, but gets only Rs 5,000-6,000 in hand, because Dhopavkar allegedly does not forward his leave applications, leading to salary cuts. Other staffers backed Kamble's claims. "Dhopavkar has sent false reports of more than 24 policemen from the police station till now," said another constable from Bandra GRP on the condition of anonymity.

Senior Inspector Vijay Dhopavkar said, "Kamble is a drunkard. He is also mentally disturbed. He does things incorrectly and is absent from his duty spot. On January 25, he came in my cabin and produced an application demanding permission for suicide. I tried to dissuade him but he consumed some liquid. I cannot allow 10 per cent staff on leave at one time. But officers produce fake medical and fitness reports and go on sick leaves. I have done nothing wrong."