Telangana cop dies as service weapon goes off accidentally

Hyderabad: A policeman died when his service weapon went off accidentally in Telangana’s Nizamabad district on Friday.

The incident occurred at Nizamabad District Police Headquarters when Reserve Inspector H. Satish was cleaning his service revolver after completing his duty.

Hearing the gun sound, other personnel rushed towards the Reserve Inspector, but Satish succumbed before he could be shifted to the hospital.

Police shifted Satish’s body to the Government General Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Police have registered a case and taken up an investigation into the circumstances that led to the misfire.

Initially, it was suspected that the Reserve Inspector shot himself dead. However, police clarified that the gun accidentally went off.

Suicides among a few police personnel in Telangana in recent times caused concern in the Police Department.

On the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, Director General of Police C.V. Anand made a special appeal to the 93,000 police personnel.

The DGP asked them not to resort to suicide as a way out of financial or personal problems. He cautioned them against alcohol, drugs and marijuana and urged them to stay away from other social vices.

The police chief appealed to the personnel to consider the impact of such a decision on their spouses, children, and parents who depended on them. He urged them to face difficulties with courage, share their problems with their families and colleagues and seek timely help instead of taking the extreme step.

Debt incurred through online betting was found to be the primary cause in inquiries into the suicides of two police personnel in the past four months.

The DGP appealed to the personnel to stay away from betting and seek help when facing financial difficulties.

The police chief stated that it was particularly distressing to see young and middle-aged constables taking their own lives after falling into debt through online betting. In the two cases, the police personnel had sold land, borrowed money from friends and colleagues or taken loans at high interest rates.

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