Delhi police head constable shoots self in front of wife

A 38-year-old Delhi police head constable allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with his service revolver in front of his wife in Northeast Delhi’s Brahmpuri area, the police said on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Gyanendra Rathi. The police said that no suicide note has been recovered from the spot. The incident took place at around 12:30 am at Brahmpuri area of New Usmanpur where Rathi lived with his family. Rathi was posted with the special cell, an anti-terror unit of the Delhi police. He was posted at the cell’s Lodhi Colony office.

Rathi reached his residence at around 12.30 am in a drunken state. This led to a heated argument between his wife and him. In a fit of rage, he took out his service pistol, placed it on his forehead and shot himself.

“We received a PCR call at around 1.04 am that Rathi had shot himself,” said a senior police official. Rathi allegedly used to have frequent verbal spats with his wife after consuming alcohol, said the official. Sources said that on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, there was a spat between the couple over the preparation of food, following which the head constable lost his temper and shot himself.

Police said that Rathi had been married for the past 12 years. He is survived by his wife and an 11-year-old son.

A police official said that he shot himself in front of his wife and son. Shocked, his family rushed him to the GTB Hospital where he was declared dead upon reaching. The local police was informed. Sources said that Rathi was one among four brothers. While one brother was working in the IT department of a private firm, the other ran his own business. The third brother, also a Delhi Police official, is currently posted at the Tis Hazari Courts. Mr Rathi’s father too served in the Delhi police. Rathi had joined Delhi police in the year 1997 where he was inducted as a constable. For the past 4-5 years, he had been posted as a head constable at the Lodhy Colony office.