Two days after a police sub-inspector from Telangana killed himself and his wife, a deeper look into the case has raised many questions.
On Friday, Chitti Babu, who was serving as an SI in the Dubbaka police station in Siddipet district, pulled out his service revolver and shot his wife, Saroja, at point blank range, before turning the gun on himself and pulling the trigger.
While his wife died on the spot, Chitti Babu was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The incident occurred in the Dubakka police quarters.
Following the incident, the police officer's family has alleged that Chitti Babu killed himself due to harassment from senior officials.
According to media reports, the SI's son alleged in a police complaint that his father had spoken to him a day earlier, and that he was being harassed by Siddipet Commissioner Shiva Kumar and ACP Narsimha Reddy.
The allegation is that the ACP pressurised Chitti Babu to collect bribes on his behalf from places like belt shops and sand quarries.
However, things are a little more complicated than that.
Chitti Babu himself was facing charges of corruption, and was due to be handed a suspension order.
Reports suggest that the Siddipet ACP had ordered an inquiry against him following some anonymous allegations, and that a suspension order was prepared on March 1, but never handed to him.
Activists have denied the allegations of corruption.
“Chitti Babu had booked 80 cases against wine shops in just two years at Dubbaka police station. If he is corrupt, why would he book so many cases,” an activist told TNIE.
A dowry-related case against the SI has also surfaced, which his daughter-in-law had filed against the couple, as well their son and her husband, Prem Kumar, in 2015.
Chitti Babu's case is eerily similar to the case of another sub-inspector who killed himself in August last year
On August 17, 2016, SI V Ramakrishna Reddy from the Kukunoorpally police station in Medak district put his service revolver to his forehead and pulled the trigger.
However, the only difference was that he left a suicide note. Nine policemen, including a DSP and a Circle Inspector, were named in it as the cause of his death.
Ramakrishna had also alleged that he was forced by his seniors to collect large amounts of bribes. His family claimed that he was under constant pressure to arrange money.
However, even as the case was being investigated, it was reported that two anonymous complaints had been made against Ramakrishna, alleging corruption.
While the first complaint was made six months before his death, the second one was received in June 2016. An inquiry committee headed by the DSP of Medak district was investigating these charges, even as Ramakrishna killed himself.
Another police officer had also shot himself in with his service revolver in Adilabad district in the same month as Ramakrishna, while another hung himself in Telangana's Nalgonda district in September.
Meanwhile in Chitti Babu's case, DIG Akun Sabharwal has issued an order appointing additional superintendent of police (Medak) Ramchandra Reddy to investigate the case.
When TOI contacted Telanagana DGP Anurag Sharma, asking him why the senior police officers were not transferred or suspended to ensure a fair probe, he said, "Why do you want to sensationalise the issue? The Commissioner is yet to be given a charge memo on this issue."
Meanwhile, a murder case has reportedly been booked against Chitti Babu himself, for killing his wife.
Both the police officers named by Chitti Babu's family have denied the allegations. No cases have been booked on them either.
“In addition to suicide, why he killed his wife is a big question now,” Siddipet Commissioner Shiva Kumar told DC.