Police shoots himself dead at J Jayalalithaa's memorial on Marina beach
Chennai: A 26-year-old police constable posted on guard duty at former Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa's memorial on Marina beach committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle during the early hours of Sunday. The deceased, M Arunraj, was attached to the Armed Reserve (AR) battalion. Police are investigating the reason for his extreme step.
A native of Avaniyapuram in Madurai, Arunraj is the youngest of four brothers and joined the police department in 2013 after completing B Com.
Around 4 55 am, other policemen on guard duty rushed on hearing gun shots fired from Jayalalithaa's memorial while the morning walkers fled on hearing the sound. Arunraj was found in a pool of blood by the other policemen on duty there.
“Three other constables were on duty at that time- each posted at the corners of the memorial,” a police officer said. Anna Square police rushed to the scene on information and secured Arunraj and moved him to the Government Royapettah Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. “He had shot his .303 service rifle through his chin and had died on the spot,” a senior police officer said. City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan rushed to the memorial and ordered for a detailed probe into the incident.
City Police arranged for his family members to travel to the city from Madurai. His parents Malairajan and Ponnazhagu rushed to the city. The policeman's body was handed over to his parents and is expected to be taken to his native village on Monday. Malairajan requested a detailed probe into the incident. “He last spoke to me on Saturday night around 7.30 pm. He asked for my bank account details to transfer money,” Malairajan said.
Police said that no suicide note has been recovered from either his barracks or from the scene. Investigations are underway. Police suspect whether Arunraj was unhappy with his work. In 2015 too, Arunraj went missing from duty. He had taken a break and went to Tirvannamalai without informing his senior.
Anna Square police have registered a case and are investigating.
