Policeman Commits Suicide, Mother Alleges Harassment by Officers
Durg | Correspondent: In a tragic incident, a 28-year-old policeman, Abhishek Rai, allegedly took his own life by consuming poison on Saturday night at his residence in the police lines of Durg, Chhattisgarh.
The incident has sparked outrage, especially after his mother made serious accusations, claiming her son had been harassed by senior officers.
According to family sources, Abhishek had been showing signs of distress for several days leading up to the incident.
His mother alleged that her son was being mentally tortured by his superiors. “My son was deeply troubled by the harassment of senior officers. The RI was not marking his attendance, and they were forcing him to work with a lady officer despite his reluctance,” she said.
Abhishek Rai, a resident of Katulboard, had not reported for duty for the last four days. On Saturday night, he consumed poison at his home, which led to his death. His body has been sent to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, Supela, for a post-mortem examination as the police launch an investigation into the matter.
Abhishek’s mother further revealed that her son had been suffering from depression. “The RI refused to mark his attendance. He was being asked to work with a lady officer, but my son had told them he didn’t want to work there. He wanted to continue his duties at Bhilai-3, where he had been posted. But no one listened to him,” she said tearfully.
A Martyr’s Family
Abhishek Rai’s family has a painful history of service to the Chhattisgarh Police.
His father, Sanjay Rai, had also served in the force and tragically lost his life in 2012 while defusing a bomb in Narayanpur.
Following his father’s death, Abhishek received a compassionate appointment as a driver in the police force just two years ago.
However, Abhishek struggled with driving due to health reasons, which led to his mother pleading with higher authorities to keep him stationed at the police line.
She recounted visiting the SP office to explain her son’s condition, supported by medical advice that he should not be driving. “Being from a martyr’s family, I went to the SP’s office and requested that my son be allowed to work at the police line as the doctor had forbidden him from driving. But instead of help, I was dismissed rudely from the office, told to ‘go away,’” she said, visibly distraught.
Abhishek had been absent from duty-SP
Meanwhile, Durg Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla has dismissed the allegations of harassment.
According to SP Shukla, Abhishek had been absent from duty since September 25 without submitting any leave application.
“The constable was careless about his duty. He had not shown up for work in days, and no formal request for leave had been made. No suicide note was recovered from the scene, and there is no evidence to suggest any officer was involved in harassing him,” Shukla said.
