Cop 'shoots self' at Jaya memorial, family raises doubts

A 23-year-old police constable posted at late chief minister J Jayalalithaa's memorial shot himself dead early on Sunday morning.

Arunraj, a 2013 batch constable, was on guard duty at the memorial along with three others from the armed reserve. He was holding a .303 rifle.

All the four were posted at the corners of the memorial. Around 4.55 am, the other constables heard the sound of a gunfire. Upon checking they found Arunraj in a pool of blood and discovered that he had shot himself on his neck.

The reason behind his suicide was not known. Senior police officials visited the scene. They were trying to find out whether he had committed suicide due to personal issues or work pressure.

Arunraj's father expressed doubts over his son's death. Speaking to the media, Malairaja said, "before going to work last night, my son telephoned me and spoke well. He was certainly not in a mood to end his life and he had no reason to do that."

Stating that he had doubts over the sudden death of his son Arunraj, Malairaja demanded a fair and detailed probe into the incident.