Kanpur IPS officer dies four days after consuming poison

LUCKNOW: IPS officer Surendra Das, who was battling for life for the last four days after consuming a poisonous substance, died at Kanpur’s Regency hospital on Sunday afternoon, police said.

Das, 30, was a 2014 batch officer and had taken over as superintendent of police city (east) last month.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and UP director general of police (DGP) OP Singh expressed grief over the officer’s death.

The DGP said he was extremely saddened by the untimely death of Das, who was a young and hard working officer.

“I pray for peace to the departed soul and extend my condolence to the bereaved family,” he said.

The DGP had earlier visited Kanpur on Saturday to enquire about Das’ condition.

According to doctors, Das was continuously on life support and his condition was critical ever since he was brought to the hospital. Doctors suspect Das had consumed Celphos, a pesticide, which affected his entire body.

They said Das underwent multiple operations but his condition worsened on Saturday when blood circulation in some parts of his body stopped. Das breathed his last at 12.19 pm on Sunday.

While searching the room of Das’ official residence in the presence of his mother Indu Devi and brother Narendra Das, the forensic team had found a torn suicide note on Wednesday.

ADG (law and order), Kanpur zone, Avinash Chandra said the officer had not blamed anyone in the suicide note.

“He has mentioned several issues that indicate towards discord in his personal life. We will investigate the matter. We are looking as to who tampered with the two-page suicide note,” said Chandra.

Das had joined as the SP (east) in August replacing Anurag Arya who was shifted to Amethi as superintendent of police.

Das’s wife Raveena Singh, who is a doctor, found froth oozing out from her husband’s mouth when she woke up at about 5 am on Wednesday, September 5, and rushed him to Ursula Horsman Memorial (UHM) hospital.

Later, he was shifted to a private hospital from where he was referred to Regency hospital.

A Bachelor of Technology in electrical engineering, Das hailed from Ballia while his family – including mother Indu Devi and younger brother Narendra Das – stay in Lucknow. The family members were in Kanpur since Wednesday.