On leave, UP ATS officer shoots self in office
LUCKNOW: A senior police officer of Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) committed suicide here on Tuesday.
Rajesh Sahni, who was additional superintendent of police (ASP), shot himself dead with his official weapon in his office at ATS headquarters in Gomti Nagar, around at 12:45pm, confirmed Anand Kumar, additional director general (ADG), law and order, UP.
Kumar said the reason for Sahni’s suicide is still not clear. He was on 10-day leave beginning Monday, but came to office on Tuesday.
The news of Sahni’s death sent shock waves among his colleagues in the police department
Those who knew him could not believe the news as he was spotted attending parties till Sunday night and was not the “one who could have killed himself.”
“It gives us immense grief to communicate the unfortunate demise of Rajesh Sahni, Adl SP ATS. He was one of the most promising officers of UP Police. The reasons of his suicide are still being ascertained. Our prayers with the family. May his soul rest in peace (sic),” tweeted OP Singh, UP DGP.
Many of his colleagues have also raised suspicion over his death and demanded a probe.
Sahni, 48, was 1992-batch UP Provincial Police Service (PPS) officer and was posted as ASP with the UP ATS since July 2014.
He was handling many high profile cases including one in which a Pithoragarh-resident Ramesh Singh Kanyal was arrested for helping the ISI to bug the house of an Indian diplomat in Pakistan.
He also led the encounter of the self-radicalised operational head of an ISIS module in Haji Colony of Kakori, Lucknow on March 7, 2017.
One of his colleagues said, Sahni came to office on Tuesday even when he was on leave for ten days. He said he told his family, including his wife Soni and daughter Shreya, that he was going to attend a Bada Mangal bhandara and thereafter he had some other work.
He said Sahni never carried weapon and got them issued only when he had to go out for some field operation.
“On Tuesday, soon after reaching the office, Sahni asked his driver-cum-gunner Manoj Kumar to get issued a pistol for him as he had to go out for some field operation and asked him to bring it in his room,” he added.
He shot himself on the right temple as soon as the driver left the room.
DIG, law and order, Praveen Kumar said the police are probing into all angles of suicide.
“He was on leave and it will be thoroughly investigated that why he came to office. We will also be scanning the call details of his mobile,” said the DIG.
He, however, ruled out the possibility of any another person’s presence in the room in which Sahni committed suicide.
He said Sahni had closed the door while the latch of the second door was found closed from outside. He said the door was opened by DIG, ATS, Joginder Kumar who saw him lying and bleeding profusely.
“A forensic team visited the spot and collected samples as well as other articles in the room. He said no suicide note was found and the statement of the family members will be recorded,” said the DIG. Prior to ATS, Sahni was with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for around two years.