Karnataka’s Cops Are Dying, but CM Siddaramiah Doesn’t Care

‘Suicides in uniform’ are a depressing reality, but the chief minister’s attitude towards them is cavalier.

‘Suicides in Uniform’ is a brutal reality in Karnataka. (Photo: The Quint/ Lijumol Joseph)

On 7 July 2016, Mangaluru Deputy Superintendent of Police MK Ganapathi invited a Kannada TV channel and gave a revealing interview.

The 27 minute video message, which is now being considered his ‘suicide note’ ended by blaming a few top cops and a key cabinet minister in Karnataka for “anything extreme” that may happen to him in future.

A few hours later, Ganapathi was found dead in a hotel room.

Protests, Arrests, Unrest

The news of the DySP’s alleged suicide came two days after K Marigowda, a close associate of Siddaramaiah, allegedly attempted to attack Mysuru District Deputy Commissioner C Shikha. Reports suggest that he was upset about the liquor licence of his family-run resort not being renewed. Marigowda has been absconding since then.

Karnataka’s Siddaramiah government has not seen a day of peace since MK Ganapathi’s suicide; especially after it said “marital issues” pushed DySP to suicide.

The ruckus in the assembly and the sleep-in protest by the opposition BJP culminated in the court ordering an FIR in the case. By evening, the news of Karnataka minister KJ George resigning from his post was everywhere. The state is now being seen as a place where “police officers and bureaucrats are hounded by their political masters.”

What is unfortunate is that in Karnataka, ‘suicides in uniform’ has always been a brutal reality.

39 police personnel ended their life between 2012 and 2014 in Karnataka. It stands second highest in suicides by police personnel in South India, and is fifth in the country. 

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)

The number of policemen dying in the line of duty is equally alarming. Government records document 31 deaths in 2013 and 41 in 2015.

The BJP has left no stone unturned to corner the Congress government on the issue, forgetting that in 2012, the state saw 17 officers committing suicide – the second highest in the state – when the BJP was in power in the state.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. (Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

Leaves, Transfers, Pressure

On 7 July, as the news of MK Ganpathy’s suicide made headlines, the entire police force in another sub-division in Bengaluru was in a tizzy. They had received a colleague’s suicide note on WhatsApp. A contingent rushed to constable Srinivas’s house and persuaded him to meet the commissioner. Srinivas was depressed about his leave not being sanctioned and frequent harassment by his seniors.

As Ganpathy’s death grabbed the headlines, Srinivas received token coverage the next day. In all these cases, the inability to cope with a punishing system is the underlying reason.

The lack of leave, multiple transfers, political pressure and inadequate staff are the main reasons for a police officer’s stress.

Domestic needs take a back seat soon after we join the police services. Shifts extending to 12 hours is a norm. Public festivals and holidays mean extra work for us. How long can families adjust to the fact that we have chosen a life that has no place for them? This leads to domestic fights, but that does not mean policemen are committing suicides due their families. However, this is counted as the most frequent cause of deaths in records.

Ananda, Traffic Police Personnel, Karnataka 

DySP Kallappa Handibag committed suicide two days before MK Ganapathi. Initial probes suggest that he may have been trapped by gambling mafia in a false kidnapping case. (Photo: The News Minute)

The increasing number of police deaths in the state is worrying, but what is even more troubling is Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s cavalier attitude towards the issue.

Responding to the alarming statistics at a media interaction, the minister only said:

It is not something new. Police personnel are known to work under intense pressure and they have been working under acute pressure.