Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore DIG of Police Vijayakumar dies by suicide, condolences pour in

Early morning tragedy

According to sources in the Coimbatore police, at around 6.40 am on Friday, Vijayakumar arrived at his camp office located at Race Course Road after his routine morning walk.

He reportedly asked his gunman Ravi to bring him his pistol and went inside his room. Minutes later, he shot himself.

As the gunman and other security personnel rushed to Vijayakumar’s room on hearing the gunshot, they found him lying in a pool of his own blood.

West Range Inspector General of Police R Sudhakar and other senior officers soon reached the spot and Vijayakumar was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Subsequently, the information was passed on to the Police Headquarters in Chennai, following which ADGP Law and Order A Arun also left for Coimbatore.

Also Read: Nearly 4,500 personnel have high anxiety, TN Police tells Madras HC

Preliminary investigation

Preliminary investigation has revealed that Vijayakumar was suffering from insomnia and was under treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as well as anxiety.

According to sources, on Thursday evening, Vijayakumar attended a friend’s birthday function and returned to his camp office at night.

“On Friday morning, he woke up at 5.30 am and went for a morning walk around Race Course Road and returned to the camp office; then the tragedy happened,” a source told South First.

Further, IG West Zone Sudhakar and Coimbatore SP had spoken with the DIG over the phone.

Meanwhile, Race Course Police have registered a case under Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code. The pistol used by the DIG has been taken as evidence and the gunman is being questioned.

Sources close to Vijayakumar said that he was recently trying Ayurvedic medicines for his stress and anxiety. Speaking to reporters in Coimbatore, ADGP Arun described Vijayakumar as a dedicated and talented officer whom he personally knew.

“The preliminary inquiry reveals that he was under stress and suffered from anxiety disorder for a few years. Four days ago he contacted his doctor, saying that his anxiety level was shooting up over the past few days and the doctor had prescribed a few pills to treat the condition. I personally verified this information with the doctor,” Arun said.

He added, “Coimbatore Commissioner Balakrishnan and IG Sudhakar were helping the officer. His wife and daughter were with him for the past few days, considering his health condition.”

The postmortem of Vijayakumar’s body was conducted at Coimbatore Government Medical College. His body is being taken to his residence at Rathinam Nagar in Theni for the last rites. DGP Jiwal and other senior police officials are participating in the funeral.

Also Read: Another case of custodial death in Tamil Nadu

Cop from a humble background

Born in 1976, Vijayakumar hailed from a village called Okkaraipatti. The son of Village Administrative Officer (VAO) Chellaiah, Vijayakumar nurtured ambitious of becoming a police officer.

After studying Engineering, Vijayakumar, cleared the Group I exams of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission in 2006 and joined service as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the state cadre.

However, in 2009, he cracked the Civil Services Exams at the age of 33 and became an IPS officer. He served as Superintendent of Police in Kanchipuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Tiruvarur districts. He also served as Deputy Commissioner of Anna Nagar in Chennai City Police.

Vijayakumar is survived by his wife, who is a dentist, and a young daughter.

An upright officer

During his stint as Cuddalore SP, Vijayakumar was on the frontlines during the rescue operations after heavy rains and floods in 2015.

While he was serving as an SP of Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID), he was the inquiry officer for a series of scams relating to NEET exams and admissions to medical courses in Tamil Nadu.

In 2020, Vijayakumar was entrusted with the investigation of the infamous custodial death of the father-son duo of Jayaraj and Bennix at Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district. He arrested all the police officers who were involved in the custodial death case.

In 2022, while he was serving as a DCP in Anna Nagar, Chennai, he cracked the gold robbery case at Fedbank-Gold Loans in Chennai and arrested the accused in 30 hours, and recovered the looted gold.

In January, this year, he was promoted and posted as DIG of Coimbatore Range.

Also Read: TN custodial deaths put government, police under scanner

Remembering their fallen friend

Rema Rajeshwari, who is currently serving as the Commissioner of Police of Ramagundam, Telangana, remembered her training days with Vijayakumar.

Speaking to South First, Rajeshwari said that during their training days at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), everyone called him “Super Cop”.

“As Vijayakumar had experience working with the Tamil Nadu State Police earlier, he used to help all of us quite a lot during our training. He was the most active, super-fit, and ever-smiling person in our batch. It’s truly tragic and a great loss for all of us,” she said.

A DSP (requesting anonymity), who worked under the Vijayakumar, said that he always respected his subordinates and was an expert in handling law and order situations.

“Vijayakumar never spoke in a way that hurt others; his commanding nature was pleasant and not authoritative. He always led the force from the front. He would think twice before taking any decision,” the officer said.

Chief Minister MK Stalin offered his condolences to the deceased officer’s family and friends from the police force.

“Vijayakumar has served Tamil Nadu Police well in various responsibilities, including District Superintendent of Police during his tenure. His death is a tragedy for the Tamil Nadu Police Department,” he said.

கோவை சரக காவல்துறை துணைத் தலைவர் திரு. விஜயகுமார் இ.கா.ப., அவர்கள் இன்று அகால மரணம் அடைந்தார் என்ற துயரமான செய்தியைக் கேட்டு மிகுந்த அதிர்ச்சியும் வருத்தமும் அடைந்தேன். திரு. விஜயகுமார் அவர்கள் தனது பணிக்காலத்தில் மாவட்டக் காவல் கண்காணிப்பாளர் உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு பணிப் பொறுப்புகளில்… pic.twitter.com/TryrsY3FSK

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 7, 2023

Also Read: Stress vs anxiety: How are they different, what are the similarities?

Opposition parties demand CBI enquiry 

Meanwhile, AIADMK General Secretary and Opposition Leader Edappadi K Palaniswami hailed Vijayakumar for his meritorious service in the Police Department. He also offered condolence to the family and friends of the deceased officer.

Palaniswami also stated that there are suspicions regarding the death of the DIG.

கோவை சரக காவல்துறை டிஐஜி திரு.விஜயக்குமார் IPS அவர்கள் மரணமடைந்த செய்தியறிந்து மிகுந்த மனவேதனை அடைந்தேன்.

காவல்துறை துணை கண்காணிப்பாளராக தனது பணியை துவங்கி , பின்னர் நேரடியாக இந்திய காவல் பணிக்கு நேரடியாக தேர்வாகி, டிஐஜி அளவிற்கு தன்னைத்தானே வளர்த்துக் கொண்ட பெருமைக்குரிய… pic.twitter.com/P6E7PfePQn

— Edappadi K Palaniswami – Say No To Drugs & DMK (@EPSTamilNadu) July 7, 2023

“I demand the state government to order a CBI enquiry into the death of the police officer in order to clear any doubts of unnatural death,” Palaniswami tweeted.

The Tamil Nadu BJP unit, too, demanded an CBI enquiry into the issue. BJP state unit Vice-President Narayanan Thirupathy said that although suicide is not the solution to any problem, it is important to know if he was actually depressed.

கோவை சரக டி ஐ ஜி விஜயகுமார் அவர்கள் இன்று காலை துப்பாக்கியால் சுட்டு தற்கொலை செய்து கொண்டுள்ளது அதிர்ச்சியளிக்கிறது. மன அழுத்தத்தின் காரணமாக இவர் தற்கொலை செய்து கொண்டதாக கருதப்படுகிற நிலையில், உயர் காவல் துறை அதிகாரி, ஐ பி எஸ் பயின்றவர், மன உறுதி படைத்தவர் திடீரென விபரீத(1/4)

— Narayanan Thirupathy (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@narayanantbjp) July 7, 2023

“The Tamil Nadu government should come forward to conduct an investigation through an agency other than the Tamil Nadu Police Department, like the CBI. Only by doing so will it be possible to remove any mistakes and if it is clear that there is no official pressure, then even the slightest stigma on the police will be wiped away,” wrote Thirupathy.

(If you need support or know someone who has suicidal thoughts, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist or can contact the helpline numbers of suicide prevention organizations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families. Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930; Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584)