Sub-inspector Chittibabu's suicide brings out harassment

Hyderabad: Dubbaka SI G. Chittibabu’s suicide once again exposed how SIs are harassed by their superiors and left with no option but to end their lives. In August 2016, SI Ramakrishna Reddy who was posted at Kukunoorpally police station, 20 km from Dubbaka, shot himself unable to bear the harassment by superiors. Both incidents were the result of harassment by seniors to collect bribes.

While the orders were to collect money from sand quarries and trucks in Kuknoorpally, it was from belt shops in Dubbaka. SIs say that bribe targets are set in rural areas, but the situation is a little better in urban areas. In rural areas, the SI is the SHO and is responsible for the areas under his jurisdiction. As a result, seniors corner them on all issues. In addition to this, CIs and DSPs have their own informer system in place and they update them on every detail at the police station. In Chittibabu’s case sources said that an ASI from Dubbaka police station was working against him and passed on information to the ACP and commissioner. The information about belt shops in Dubbaka was passed on to higher-ups and an inquiry was ordered about Chittibabu. Later, he was attached to the crime team at the Siddipet ACP’s office.

On Thursday night, Chittibabu called his son Premkumar and said that he was unable to bear the harassment. SI Ramakrishna Reddy who shot himself with his revolver left a note addressed to the Medak SP. He alleged that DSP Sridhar and CI Venkataiah had been forcing him to collect bribes.