Telangana: Series of police suicides using official weapons spark concern in erstwhile Medak district
The rising number of suicides among police personnel in the erstwhile Medak district has raised alarm. Several officers, from sub-inspectors to constables, have ended their lives using service weapons, with stress, family issues, and workplace pressure cited as key factors
Sangareddy: The spate of suicides among police personnel in the erstwhile Medak district has raised serious concern, as firearms meant for enforcing law and order are increasingly turning into tools of self-destruction in the hands of officers.
Over the past several years, the region has reported multiple incidents of police personnel taking their own lives, and in a few tragic instances, even killing their family members before ending their lives. Investigations in these cases have revealed various causes ranging from work-related stress to family and financial troubles.
In one of the earliest cases in recent years, Sub-Inspector Vustala Ramakrishna Reddy of Kukunurpally police station shot himself dead in August 2016. A native of Bakkamanthulagudem in Mattampally mandal of Suryapet district, Ramakrishna Reddy left behind a suicide note alleging harassment by senior officials. His successor, SI P Prabhakar Reddy of Tanguturu in Aler mandal, Yadadri-Bhongir district, also died by suicide in June 2017. Earlier that year, in March, another SI, G Chittibabu of Dubbak police station, shot himself dead after killing his wife, Saroja, with the same weapon. He was reportedly distressed over an ongoing departmental inquiry.
In October 2019, a head constable posted at Erravally ended his life by shooting himself with a 9mm carbine, reportedly due to alcoholism and personal issues. In another case in December 2023, an AR constable, Akula Naresh, who was working as the Siddipet Collector’s gunman, shot his wife Chaitanya and their two children before turning the gun on himself at their residence in Ramunipatla village, Chinnakodur mandal.
In the latest incident, civil constable Kotari Sandeep Kumar died by suicide after shooting himself on the banks of Mahabub Sagar in Sangareddy. While most such incidents have been reported in Siddipet district, similar cases have surfaced across Telangana over the years, exposing the mounting mental and emotional strain faced by the police force.
Kukunurpally SI V Ramakrishna Reddy shot himself to death at his official residence in Kukunurpally, unable to handle official pressure in August 2016.
Kukunurpally SI P Prabhakar Reddy shot himself to death at his official residence in Kukunurpally due to personal problems in June 2017.
Dubbk SI G Chittibabu killed his wife, Saroja, by shooting her with his pistol before ending his life in March 2019.
AR Constable Akula Naresh with his wife and two children. He killed his wife and two children with his weapon in December 2023.
