Karnataka Govt on edge: Bullied woman SI attempts suicide

BENGALURU: In yet another "suicide shock" for the government which is in the eye of a storm after DySP M.K.Ganapati's suicide and television interview where he held a minister and two senior officials responsible for his death, the attempted suicide by a woman police sub-inspector on Tuesday afternoon triggered fresh controversy, reinforcing charges of ill-treatment of police by their superior officers.

Ms Roopa Tambada, a sub-inspector of 2009 batch, attached to the Vijayanagar police station has been admitted to the ICU after she swallowed a cocktail of painkillers. Her condition is said to be stable.

Police said Ms Tambada's verbal spat with Inspector H.V. Sanjeev Gowda over a seized mobile phone drove her to the edge. Sources said that Mr Gowda, who was suspended on June 20 on charges of dereliction of duty, had reported to work on Friday.

On Monday evening, a woman who had filed a mobile theft complaint a week ago met the inspector to know the status of her case. Going through the reports, the inspector found that the case was solved with the arrest of the accused and the phone had been seized.

“When he asked Roopa, who had handled the case, she told him that she did not have the mobile phone with her. The inspector pulled her up in the presence of other staff. On Tuesday morning, when she came in to the station, she found her name mentioned in the station diary with a note from the inspector that her negligence was evident in the case. An upset Ms Tambada marched into the inspector's chamber and had a heated argument with him," a source said.

"She contacted her husband Nataraj, an advocate, and informed him about the development. He advised her to go to the Police Commissioner's office. She mentioned in the station dairy that she was going to the Commissioner's office, but never returned," the source said. Mr Nataraj, who waited for her call to go to the commissioner's office, rushed home as she did not pick up his calls. The station staff had no idea of her whereabouts. He found her unconscious and rushed her to Suguna Hospital.

Senior police officers rushed to the hospital to monitor her health condition. Additional Commissioner of Police (West) K.S.R. Charan Reddy told reporters, “She left the police station after mentioning in the diary that she would go to Commissioner's office, but she never went there. Preliminary probe revealed that the inspector and the PSI had engaged in an argument on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Only after recording her statement, it will be possible to initiate further action.”

MD of Suguna Hospital, Dr Ravindra, who treated her, said, “When she was brought in at 4.10 pm, she was drowsy. She was given treatment and her condition is stable. She is under observation in the ICU. She had swallowed around 15 tablets, an overdose of cold and fever medicines like Dolo 650 and paracetamol.”

Ms Tambada, who hails from Davanagere, stays in the Rajajinagar police quarters. She was working at the Vijayanagar police station for the last two years. She and her husband Nataraj have a daughter.