Himanshu Roy's suicide note holds no one guilty; body sent for post-mortem

Himanshu Roy, who still had seven years of service left, was deemed as a committed and sharp police officer by his peers

BS Web Team  |  New Delhi 

Himanshu Roy
File photo of Himanshu Roy

Maharashtra's Additional Director General of Police Himanshu Roy reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself in Mumbai on Friday afternoon, official sources said. Roy, who would have turned 55 next month, was fighting cancer and was on medical leave since 2016. The forensic team has arrived at his residence for investigation. The body has been taken to Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital for post-mortem. A suicide note has been recovered from his residence that says no one should be held responsible for his death, according to CNN-News18. According to preliminary information, Himanshu Roy shot himself at around 1:40 pm with his service revolver at his home in south Mumbai. He was rushed to the Bombay Hospital where he was declared dead. Himanshu Roy, from the 1988 batch of Indian Police Service (IPS), had served in elite groups of the Maharashtra Police, including as chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and in the Crime Branch.before being appointed as the additional director general of police in November 2016. Roy is credited with being involved in many high-profile investigations, including journalist J Dey murder case and the murder of fringe Bollywood actor Laila Khan and law graduate Pallavi Purkhayasta. Roy, who was joint commissioner of police (Crime) from 2012-2014, is credited with leading the investigation into the IPL betting scandal.

In his career spanning 15 years, Himanshu Roy was also part of the team which pursued leads related to American-born Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist David Headley, who was involved in carrying out a recce mission ahead of the 26/11 terror strike.

He was then transferred to the state ATS. During his tenure as the agency's chief, software engineer Anees Ansari was arrested for allegedly planning to blow up the American school at the Bandra Kurla complex. Himanshu Roy, who still seven years of service left, was deemed as a committed and sharp police officer by his peers. "He was very soft-spoken. He was disciplined. There are many other cases which were handled by him.

He was extremely sharp," said ex-Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik, reported Firstpost. Questioning the reason over his alleged suicide, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said that Roy had apparently informed the home ministry that he was being targetted but his caution was paid no heed, added Firspost.

Meanwhile, the Indian Police Service Association today tweeted that it is a big loss for the police community and is irreparable.

"In a big tragedy, we lost one of our very bright officers Sri Himanshu Roy, IPS of 1988 batch Maharashtra, today. A fiercely brave officer, his loss is irreparable. Our condolences & prayers to friends & family.

Currently, a police investigation is underway to ascertain the reason for the suicide. Former police commissioner says cancer possible reason for suicide Shocked over the death of Roy, former Mumbai police commissioner M N Singh said that police officers undergo tremendous pressure and need to be given proper rest and leave. Singh added that Roy was barely interacting with people as he had taken seriously ill. Former Mumbai Police Commissioner, MN Singh said that cancer is one of the probable reasons for his suicide. "He was suffering from cancer, and probably because of that, he shot himself. He gave up his life. Probably he lost the will to fight to continue fighting," said MN Singh. Praising his courage for holding higher positions in the police department, Singh said that the often an officer of the law has to work under tremendous pressure. He even suggested a provision for a 1-month compulsory leave for the police officers. "Like the Army, we should have a compulsory leave for the police officers. Police officers should be given compulsory leave for one month to field officers in order to recuperate themselves," added Singh.
With agency inputs

First Published: Fri, May 11 2018. 17:59 IST