A police officer was found hanging from the ceiling fan in an old police quarters behind the Chengamanad police station on Thursday around 8.45 a.m.
The deceased, identified as Paulose John, 52, was serving as an assistant sub inspector (ASI) at the Chengamanad police station. The police have registered a case for unnatural death invoking Section 174 of the Civil Procedure Code.
According to the police, a colleague had first found the body when he went to the quarters to change his uniform.
A resident of South Vazhakkulam, the ASI used to commute between home and station. However, he stayed back on Wednesday though his duty was over by the evening.
“We have not found anything suspicious behind the death. However, the Aluva Dy.SP has been asked to probe the case and submit a report on the circumstances, personal or official, that might have led to the death of the officer,” said District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) K. Karthik, who visited the scene.
The deceased had been deployed at the Chengamanad station for four-and-a-half years. He was initially posted as senior civil police officer before being promoted as assistant sub inspector a while ago.
Mr. Karthik shot down allegations of delay in bringing down the body. The police had to wait for the relatives to arrive at the scene. The inquest was conducted in the presence of a tahsildar at their demand. “The relatives of the deceased wanted the inquest to be conducted in the presence of an executive magistrate following which I personally contacted the District Collector with a request to authorise an official,” he said.
Speculation was rife that the deceased had been facing stress on the job front.
However, the police termed it baseless, saying that he had not even been put on night duty for a while.
The body was moved to the mortuary, and the post-mortem will be conducted on Friday. The time of his death would be known only after the post mortem. There were people who had seen him till around 6.30 p.m. on Wednesday, police said.
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