Chennai: The mysterious death of IPS officer N. Harish in Chennai has triggered a battle of words in WhatsApp groups where senior cops from across the country seem to have forwarded messages indirectly indicting former state DGP K. Ramanujam without verifying facts.
After an anonymous post blamed the retired police officer, which popped up in all groups, the former top cop, who is currently serving the state information commission, had to come out with a detailed reply.
It looks like the anonymity of the sender had irked the former top police officer the most.
Ramanujam starts his message addressing to “To the anonymously Brave,” and went on to say “I understand a malicious message is being circulated on WhatsApp referring to the death of a young IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre by name N. Harish and making certain insinuation that I as DGP, tortured him to the core every passing day with multiple enquiries and that I was stumbling block for his promotion.
“It is sad that Harish was not able to get promotion. I retired more than a year back and I don’t know if he had cleared the regional language test or not afterwards. Its maligning the memory of Harish to say that he begged me for his promotion,”
Ramanujam says. Such statement assumes that the promotions are granted at the whim of the DGP and junior officers have to beg for legitimate dues.
“Why should I single out and torture him? What is the motive?” Ramanujam asked when this newspaper contacted him on Saturday. He said that during his time, to get promoted as SP, he had to clear a test in Hindi.
Ramanujam further notes that in a a big state like Tamil Nadu, DGP’s interaction with ASPs do not take place even once in a month.
“I welcome the idea of having a departmental psychologist. If failure to appoint one amounted to official neglect, I do admit my share along with that of all my predecessors and successor,” says Ramanujam reacting to another post in a WhatsApp group.
Ramanujam, reacting to string of forwards which appeared with foot notes like “don’t know whether its genuine, but don’t doubt it too,” or “someone forwarded it to me. I posted it here. Sorry, I was a bit sloppy about it” noted that such post are puzzling, painful and hurtful. Ramanujam ends his message with “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”
