Karnataka: Inspector Gowda harassed SI Roopa Tambada, alleges her husband
On Tuesday, Gowda reprimanded Roopa in front of everyone. She broke down, in tears.
BENGALURU: Roopa Tambada, the 32 year old woman sub inspector who tried to take her own life on Tuesday by overdosing on painkillers, was allegedly being targeted by her supervisory officer Inspector Sanjeev Gowda, who blamed the policewoman for his suspension, which no amount of political patronage could stop.
Roopa's husband Nataraj alleges that Gowda has been harassing his wife since the time he was posted to Vijayanagar and that Roopa had tried to end her life six months ago too.
Strong-willed, she would not have tried to end her life over a trivial issue, Nataraj said. Neither work pressure nor the long hours fazed her. “It was the harassment from her boss (Gowda) that upset her over the last one year. She couldn't take it any more,” Nataraj alleges.
On Tuesday, Gowda reprimanded Roopa in front of everyone. She broke down, in tears. “What upset her more was that Gowda wrote a remark on dereliction of duty against her name in the station diary," an officer present at the station said.
More shockingly, Mr Nataraj revealed that nine months ago, Roopa had collapsed inside the police station because of low blood pressure and was rushed to a nearby Gayatri Nursing Home. “She was under a lot of pressure but we never thought that she would try to kill herself,” he told Deccan Chronicle.
On Tuesday, Roopa and Gowda had a shouting match over a seized mobile phone and she had left the police station in a huff. She went home, consumed over 25 tablets and was found unconscious by her husband, who rushed her to Suguna Hospital. The doctors attending on her said that she was stable, but continued to be in the ICU as her condition had to be monitored for the next 48 hours.
He said, “My wife is strong-willed and will not try to end her life over a trivial issue. She was coping well and had never complained about her work pressure and long working hours. But the harassment from her boss (Gowda) had upset her in the last one year and she couldn’t take it any more.”
Roopa, he said, started her career as a probationary officer in Hebbagodi police station before she was transferred to the City Police Commissioner’s office. “During her stint at Hebbagodi and at Commissioner’s office, she never complained of any misconduct or ill-treatment by her bosses. Even when she was transferred to the Vijayanagar police station one-and-a-half years ago, she had a good rapport with the then inspector Raghvendra. But things changed a year ago when Sanjeev Gowda was posted as the Inspector. Roopa had begun to feel the pressure and had complained on occasions about being harassed by him,” charged Nataraj. He said that Gowda misbehaves and uses foul language while talking with his staff.
Meanwhile, a preliminary probe into Roopa’s alleged suicide attempt revealed growing differences between her and Gowda. “Gowda had differences with Roopa and had blamed her for his recent suspension. He had also accused her of referring cases to her lawyer husband,” said an officer on condition of anonymity.
Roopa had recently arrested a man while investigating a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and had seized his mobile phone. Since Gowda was under suspension for dereliction of duty, she had reported the case to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, who had reportedly told her to keep the seized phone in the inspector’s cabin. On Tuesday afternoon, the accused approached Gowda and requested for his mobile phone. Since Roopa was handling the case, the inspector asked her to return the mobile. Roopa told him that the phone was in his custody and that she was not aware of it. This led to heated arguments between the two officers. Gowda reportedly reprimanded Roopa in front of everyone. She broke down and went to her desk crying and later left the station. “What upset her more was that Gowda wrote a remark on dereliction of duty against her name in the station diary,” the officer said.
DCP (Central) Sandeep Patil, who is conducting the probe, is questioning the staff of the police station and the eyewitness. The police are waiting for Roopa to recover to record her statement, after which they will record Gowda’s statement.
Women’s panel to record statements
“We have taken up a suo motu case, and I also visited Roopa at the hospital. I have sought the DCP to submit a report. As soon as we get the report, we will take statements of both Roopa and Sanjeev Gowda and will act upon it,” said Ms Manjula Manasa, chairperson, Karnataka State Commission for Women.
DCP submits report to top cop
On Wednesday afternoon, DCP (Central) Sandeep Patil, who is probing the alleged suicide attempt of Roopa Tambada, submitted a four-page report to City Police Commissioner N. S. Megharikh. The report stated that the issue could have been easily resolved if both the officers had not lost their temper and handled it in a mature way.
Where’s the mystery phone
The mobile phone of the Pocso accused which was at the centre of discord between the two officers has gone missing, sources said. While Gowda said that the phone is not in his possession, Ms Roopa had maintained that it could be either with the inspector or Assistant Commissioner of Police S.K. Umesh.
Dr G seeks report
Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwar has sought a report from City Police commissioner N.S. Megharikh which is likely to be submitted on Thursday.
PSI stable, but still in ICU
Woman police sub-inspector Roopa Tambada, who attempted suicide, is stable and her conscious level is better, said the doctors attending on her at Suguna Hospital.
“But she is still in the ICU as the overdose of paracetamol that she consumed starts affecting the liver only in 36-40 hours of consumption. We need to observe her. We have already started haemofiltration and today she is undergoing second haemofiltration," said Dr Ravindra R., Medical Director, Suguna Hospital. He said, “We generally do not give more than 2.5 gm to 4 gm of paracetamol for a normal patient. But she has taken 14.5 gm of paracetamol. We need to stop the liver and kidney from being affected. Her condition will be monitored for the next 24-48 hours and then she will be discharged.”
Elaborating on the dosage, the doctor said that Ms Tambada had taken some 15 tablets of Dolo 650 and another ten cold tablets. “We cannot say how many tablets, but looking at the empty tablet packet, she seems to have taken 25 tablets,” he said.