Sub-inspector, 33, kills himself with service pistol in Chennai police station

CHENNAI: A 33-year-old sub-inspector of police killed himself with a service revolver in front of at least four of his colleagues, evading their attempts to stop him by threatening them with the weapon before shooting himself in the head, in Ayanavaram police station early on Wednesday.
R Sathish Kumar fired a single round from the 9mm pistol at 1.45am near the doorway of the police station on Konnur High Road, a senior police officer said. The bullet pierced his skull just above his right ear, killing him instantaneously.

In a note he left on his worktable, the sub-inspector, an MTech from Anna University, said nobody was to blame for his death.

It was the second public suicide by a member of the force in less than 70 hours, after Armed Reserve Police constable Arunraj, 26, killed himself with his standard police issue .303 rifle while on duty at former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's memorial on the Marina on Sunday.

The department started a probe by questioning special sub-inspector Chiranjeevi, 54, who handed Sathish Kumar the key to the police station's weapons room. Sathish Kumar had left the station after completing duty at 8pm on Tuesday, the officer quoted Chiranjeevi as saying.

"He returned at 1.40am and told me that he had to go out on a probe and required a pistol," Chiranjeevi said. "I gave Sathish Kumar the key to the weapons room after he signed in the register," the SSI said. "He loaded one bullet in the weapon and put it to his forehead. I screamed in alarm."