Senior Tamil Nadu Police Official ‘Suicides’ Death, Consternation from CM Stalin

Police said on Friday that a senior police officer with the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Coimbatore region, reportedly committed suicide and is thought to have shot himself.

M K Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, expressed astonishment at the tragedy and said that the death was a significant loss for the police force.

A senior police official said that DIG C Vijayakumar is suspected of having shot himself at his apartment in the city’s Red Fields with his service handgun, adding that the reason for the drastic move was being determined.

The IPS officer from the 2009 batch took over as DIG in January of this year. He has previously held the position of Deputy Commissioner of Police at Anna Nagar, Chennai.

He has previously held the position of Superintendent of Police in the districts of Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Tiruvarur.

This is the second instance in recent years in Tamil Nadu of a prominent official apparently committing suicide.

Then, in 2015, Namakkal district resident and Tiruchengode Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vishnupriya reportedly committed suicide. She was discovered hanged.

Chief Minister Stalin expressed his sorrow and sadness upon learning about C Vijayakumar’s untimely passing on Twitter. “During his tenure, Vijayakumar served the Tamil Nadu police force well in a variety of capacities, including district SP.”

His passing leaves the Tamil Nadu Police department with a significant loss. His family, friends, and the police force have my sincere condolences and sympathy, the Chief Minister tweeted.