Wife of deceased suspects depression due to chronic health problems

Cop turns service revolver on self

Wife of deceased suspects depression due to chronic health problems

The suicide of a police inspector in the wee hours yesterday once again highlighted the pressures the police force has to deal with. Long duty hours, erratic work schedules, no personal life and, more importantly, lifestyle problems have become silent killers for many.

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Police Inspector Dundappa Ratnappa Sankeshwari (42) of the Dattawadi police station shot himself with his service revolver at his residence in Swargate Police Lines a few hours after returning from duty around 11.30 pm on saturday. His wife Kavita, who works as a teacher in Rosary School, heard the bullet rounds and rushed into the bedroom to see her husband lying motionless. At the time of the incident, Kavita and their sons Ratanraj (14) and Tarunraj (11) were sleeping in the hall.
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The Khadak police station was informed and policemen arrived at the spot and shifted Sankeshwari to the Sahyadri Hospital, where he was declared dead at 5 am.

Diabetes, hypertension
In her statement to the Khadak police station, Kavita said her husband was tired of his chronic diabetes and hypertension. She told the police she suspected his health problems might have been the reason behind his taking the extreme step.

"PI Sankeshwari was suffering from diabetes and hypertension and this could have been the reason behind his suicide," said Police Inspector Vijaysinh Gaikwad Senior of the Dattawadi police station.The case was registered with the Khadak police station and Police Inspector Rajendra Kadam was investigating it.

"PI Sankeshwari's wife Kavita has stated in her statement that her husband was tired of his illness," said Kadam.

Police records show Sankeshwari took charge as police inspector (crime) on June 14, 2010, before which he had worked at many places, including Nashik, Satara and Solapur. He had also been with the highway police and the Special Protection Unit in his 20 years of service.

Expertspeak
"Cases of suicide among policemen are usually reported during Ganapati festival and Diwali, when they are expected to work round-the-clock and are put on bandobast duties for long hours," said Dr Milind Bhoi. "It is
important to note that their leaves get cancelled during this period. As a result, the men in khaki have to deal with tremendous stress without a break.

In the case of PI Sankeshwari, diabetes and hypertension can not be the reason behind the suicide; I believe stress might have been the reason."

The Bhoi Pratisthan conducted a survey in January last year in which 1,200 policemen participated. The survey findings showed that 40 per cent of the police force was suffering from diabetes and 30 per cent from ypertension. About 30 per cent were suffering from both the diseases.

Silent killers

>>RTI activist Vihar Durve had sought information on deaths of policemen in the city between 2000 and 2009, and he learnt that while only four suicides were recorded in the last nine years, more than 70 deaths were caused by sickness. Experts say diabetes and hypertension were the silent killers for many.
>>The records show an increase in the number of deaths from 2008; that year 16 deaths were reported and in 2009 deaths numbered 20. A majority of the deaths were caused by sickness, with experts saying diabetes and hypertension being the chief culprits.
>>Major causes of deaths from 2000 to 2009 were found to be sickness (70), accident (15), suicide (4) and natural death (4).
>>Yearwise death figures n 2000, seven police deaths were recorded; in 2001 two; in 2002 there were seven deaths; in 2003 there were four; in 2004 seven policemen died; in 2005 the number was 11; in 2006 eight policemen; in 2007 police deaths were 11; in 2008 the number was 16; in 2009 the figure was 20.