Suicide of Uvaraja Gopal

Last updated

Uvaraja Gopal was an Indian-origin police sergeant in Singapore who committed suicide on July 21, 2023, at the age of 36, allegedly after enduring workplace bullying and racial discrimination. At the time of his death, he was undergoing three criminal and disciplinary investigations. The case garnered widespread media attention in Singapore, with several calls for an independent inquiry into the incident, including by activist Constance Singam, and over 1,000 signatures on an online petition.

Contents

Background

Shanmugam in 2014. K. Shanmugam in meeting with Iranian Parliament chairman Ali Larijani.jpg
Shanmugam in 2014.

Gopal, who was of Indian origin, claimed to have been mistreated and racially discriminated against by his colleagues and superiors at while working as a police officer in Singapore for over 10 years. [1] [2] [3] In a now-deleted Facebook post, he claimed to have been subjected to ethnic slurs, bullying from supervisors, and being ostracised at work. [4] [5] Internal investigations in 2015 found that offensive language was used, but was not targeted at Gopal. [6] The officer apologised to Gopal and he was offered the option of lodging an official complaint, which he declined to do. [2] In 2019, Gopal claimed a superior had shredded his leave form and uploaded the act to a chat group; he admitted to doing so and was reprimanded. Investigations of other claims of various superiors using discriminatory and offensive language against Gopal were found to not be true.

In 2021, Gopal filed a complaint against officers vaping within police compounds, the results of which were inconclusive; in 2023, he filed a complaint of officers smoking in a different compound. [2] The officers involved were referred to an Internal Affairs Office. Gopal claimed he received unfair performance appraisals, which affected his career. K. Shanmugam, the Minister for Home Affairs, found said that investigations found the allegations to be false, and that Gopal was given opportunities to apply for postings. At his request, he was transferred to six different work units in nine years.

Gopal claimed he was treated as an outcast, with nobody from the police division attending his wedding. [2] Investigations found that he had only invited one officer, who was unable to attend after falling ill. Shanmugam claimed that investigations found that Gopal suffered from various personal issues, he frequently applied for medical leave for extended periods, and seemed to have faced psychological stresses and chronic insomnia since 2017. He also displayed symptoms of anxiety and depression. [7] Gopal's supervisors organised counselling and psychological assistance for him from 2016, with the latest instance being in January 2023. [8] In February 2023, he was shifted to another unit and showed signs of being mentally unstable; he was relieved from carrying firearms the same month due to safety concerns. On July 13, 2023, police responded to calls at Gopal's parents' residence, where he had allegedly assaulted his brother over financial matters. The next day, Gopal's mother lodged a report against him, saying she feared for her safety. Later in the day, Gopal's sister-in-law called police to report him being outside her house; he left after police arrived. [8] Gopal served at the Ang Mo Kio Police Division at the time of his death. [7]

Death

On July 21, 2023, Gopal made Facebook post alleging that he had experienced racial discrimination and workplace bullying, and alluding that he would be dead by the time the post was published. [9] [10] Gopal committed suicide the same day, reportedly by jumping, [11] at the age of 36. [12] [13] He was found motionless in an apartment block, and taken to the hospital while unconscious, later dying. [14] At the time of his suicide, Gopal was under criminal investigation for offences under the Penal Code and the Protection from Harassment Act, and under two internal disciplinary investigations for disobeying orders; once in April 2023 when he left his uncompleted work unattended and refused to return to finish it, and once in July 2023 when he had left his home on multiple occasions despite being on medical leave. [2]

Aftermath

The Singapore Police Force announced it would investigate the claims made by Gopal following his suicide. [15]

The case garnered widespread media attention in Singapore, with several calls for an independent inquiry into the incident, and over 1,000 signatures on an online petition. [16] Singaporean politician Leong Mun Wai suggested appointing a Committee of Inquiry to investigate the matter, to which Shanmugam disagreed. [7] Political party Red Dot United emailed all Members of Parliament calling to address the issue and recommending the formation of an Independent Committee to thoroughly investigate the claims. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Police Department</span> Seattle, United States law enforcement agency

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is responsible for the whole city except for the campus of the University of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Police Force</span> National police force of Singapore

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; human and weapons trafficking; cyber crime; as well as economic crimes that goes across domestic and international borders, but can be tasked to investigate any crime under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and is accountable to the Parliament of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aetos Security Management</span>

AETOS, a member of the Surbana Jurong Group, is a leading unified security solutions provider based in Singapore. Established in 2004 following the strategic merger of three key Auxiliary Police forces, AETOS has more than 70 years of collective experience in safeguarding key national maritime, aviation, and infrastructure installations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law Enforcement Exploring</span> American education program for youth in law enforcement

Law Enforcement Exploring, commonly referred to as Police Explorers or Police Scouts, is an American vocational education program that allows youth to explore a career in law enforcement by working with local law enforcement agencies. Founded on July 12, 1973, it is one of the Exploring programs from Learning for Life, a non-Scouting affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America. The program is generally available to qualified young adults who graduated 8th grade and are ages 14 through 21. Since its founding, adults mentors from the program have faced nearly than 200 allegations of abuse or misconduct.

The Special Operations Command (SOC) is a specialist tactical unit of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) specialising in riot control and high-threat incidents. It was formed on 10 September 1992 to unify specialist units into a single strategic reserve force that the regular officers need to call upon in any contingency plan and serious case of public disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Civil Defence Force</span> Emergency services organisation in Singapore

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is a uniformed organisation in Singapore under the Ministry of Home Affairs that provides emergency services such as firefighting, technical rescue, and emergency medical services, and coordinates national civil defence programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Terrell</span> American civil rights attorney and talk radio host

Leo Terrell is an American civil rights attorney and talk radio host based in Los Angeles, California. He has frequently appeared on Fox News programs, such as Hannity and The O'Reilly Factor. Previously a Democrat, in a July 2020 interview, he declared his support for President Donald Trump—the first time he declared support for a Republican Party presidential candidate. Referring to his new self as "Leo 2.0", Terrell says that he is a happier person as a Republican. On January 9, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to appoint Terrell as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division in the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Narcotics Bureau</span> Singapores drug enforcement agency

The Central Narcotics Bureau (中央肃毒局) or CNB is a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) tasked to combat drug trafficking and distribution and is responsible for coordinating all matters pertaining to drug eradication in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. Shanmugam</span> Singaporean politician

Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam , better known as K. Shanmugam, is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who has been serving as Minister for Law since 2008 and Minister for Home Affairs since 2015. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Chong Pang division of Nee Soon GRC since 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide of Nicola Ann Raphael</span> Suicide of a Scottish bullied schoolgirl

Nicola Ann Raphael was a Scottish schoolgirl who died from suicide after enduring years of bullying because she dressed in a goth style. Her death on 24 June 2001 and allegations of bullying at her school, Lenzie Academy, led to coverage in the local and national press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide of Danny Chen</span> 2011 suicide of an American soldier

Danny Chen was an American U.S. Army soldier who served during the War in Afghanistan. His suicide resulted in a military investigation and charges against eight US soldiers, ultimately with four being court martialed.

Charles J. Bordeleau is a retired Canadian police officer who served as the chief of police of the Ottawa Police Service from March 2012 until May 2019. Prior to this, he served as the city's deputy chief of police.

Afton Williamson is an American actress, best known for the lead role of Police Officer Talia Bishop in the ABC series The Rookie and as Assistant District Attorney Alison Cacao Medding in the Cinemax original series Banshee.

David Paul Weber is an American criminalist, and the former Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He is the Principal Investigator of a $2.6 million grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to test various white collar crime interventions concerning elder financial exploitation and high-tech crime. He is a Professor of the Practice in Fraud and Forensic Accounting at the Perdue School of Business, Salisbury University.

The Protection from Harassment Act 2014 (POHA) is a statute of the Parliament of Singapore that criminalises harassment, stalking, and other anti-social behaviour. The law is designed specifically to make acts of cyberbullying and online harassment a criminal offence.

<i>The Rookie</i> (TV series) 2018 American drama series

The Rookie is an American drama series created by Alexi Hawley for ABC. The series stars Nathan Fillion, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Melissa O'Neil, Mekia Cox, Lisseth Chavez, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, and Eric Winter. It follows John Nolan, a man in his forties, who becomes the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). It is based on real-life LAPD officer William Norcross, who moved to Los Angeles in 2015 and joined the department in his mid-40s.

Christopher Kapessa was a Welsh boy who died at the age of 13 in the River Cynon on 1 July 2019. He was pushed from a height of 2.5 metres into the water and declared dead on the same day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raeesah Khan</span> Singaporean activist and former politician

Raeesah Begum bte Farid Khan is a Singaporean social activist and former politician. A former member of the opposition Workers' Party (WP), she was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Compassvale division of Sengkang GRC between 2020 and 2021.

The following lists events that happened during 2023 in the Republic of Singapore.

Nicole Chan was a Vancouver Police Department officer who took her own life in 2019. Chan made allegations of being the victim of sexual coercion from supervising officers prior to her death.

References

  1. ↑ Anshul, Girish (6 February 2024). "Singapore Police to probe racism among officers after Indian-origin cop's suicide". India Today. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Wong, Andrew (6 February 2024). "Cop who made discrimination allegations faced 3 investigations at time of death: Shanmugam". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  3. ↑ "Singapore Law Minister orders probe into alleged racial discrimination faced by Indian-origin officer before death" . The Hindu. 22 July 2023. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "Police officer who alleged workplace bullying before death was offered help for 'substantial' work challenges: SPF". CNA. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "Singapore Police to investigate racial slurs and racism among its officers as 'possible misconduct' after Indian-origin officer's death". The Tribune. 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Tang, Louisa; Tham, Davina (6 February 2024). "Police officer suicide: Workplace racism allegations in SPF will be investigated as disciplinary breaches, says Shanmugam". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 "Minister Shanmugam reprimands LMW's COI proposal on death of late Sgt. Uvaraja". Gutzy Asia. 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Police Statement On Allegations Made By Late Police Officer SGT Uvaraja S/O Gopal". Singapore Police Force. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  9. ↑ Ong, Justin (24 July 2023). "Racial discrimination allegations made by cop Uvaraja Gopal before his death 'unsubstantiated', but SPF to reinvestigate". Today. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  10. ↑ Begum, Yasmin (22 July 2023). "SPF to investigate allegations of racial discrimination, workplace bullying made by officer before his death: Shanmugam". Today. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  11. ↑ "Singapore Policeman's Suicide Raises Racism Questions". Asia Sentinal. 31 July 2023. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  12. ↑ Ong, Justin (6 February 2024). "SPF went to 'considerable lengths' to help late sergeant Uvaraja Gopal through health, family issues: Shanmugam". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 9 February 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  13. ↑ "Allegations Surrounding Suicide of Sgt Uvaraja S/O Gopal – Transcript of Ministerial Statement by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law". Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs. 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Tan, Cheryl (23 July 2023). "Officer's death will be thoroughly investigated to retain confidence in police force: Shanmugam". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 23 July 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  15. ↑ Singh, Gurdip. "Singapore Police to investigate racial slurs and racism among its officers as 'possible misconduct' after Indian-origin officer's death". Press Trust of India. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  16. ↑ "Calls intensify for independent inquiry into death of Sgt Uvaraja Gopal, alleged victim of racial discrimination in SPF". Gutzy Asia. 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  17. ↑ "Sgt Uvaraja's demise - MPs briefed on need for independent probe". Red Dot United. 28 July 2023. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.