Cop’s suicide sparks outrage online

Constable seeking transfer to hometown had been suspended from service

LAHORE:

A police constable facing departmental action committed suicide by hanging himself allegedly in frustration over the behaviour of senior officers.

Constable Mohsin Javed had been suspended and his salary stopped on charges of remaining absent for four days. On Tuesday, he reportedly took his own life by hanging himself from a tree in Police Lines.

He reportedly belonged to Bahawalpur, around 500 kilometres from Lahore and had also requested his repatriation to his hometown.

His death sparked a backlash on social media by the people as well fellow police officials. Some accused senior police officers of pushing him to take the extreme step.

They accused senior officers of adopting a derogatory attitude towards the juniors as a matter of routine.

They claimed that due to poor working conditions and maltreatment most police personnel were facing mental health issues.

A claim reportedly shared by some retired and serving policemen was that a battalion commander had taken disciplinary action against four personnel, including Javed, for complaining about poor mess conditions through social media. They allegedly made a video of worms found in the food served to them and shared it on social media, criticising their commanders for negligence and requesting improvement of their living conditions. Another version asserted that the constable was suspended for remains absent from duty for four days because of being unwell.

On the other hand, two letters issued by the battalion commanders for holding a medical board examination of Javed also surfaced.

He is of the letters stated that the policeman had requested his repatriation from this unit to his district on medical grounds. His battalion commander requested his examination and assessment of his treatment.

The letter also asked for an expert opinion on whether the constable was fit for standing or light duty in the unit or should be repatriated to his district on medical grounds.

Battalion Commander SP Nida Umar Chatha was contacted for comments but she did not respond.

There has been several incidents of suicide by policemen in the province in recent years. Last year in September, ASI Abdul Majeed shot himself dead in Garden Town police station.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2021.