Karnataka police probing suicide case use forensic psychological autopsy for first time in state
Bengaluru: A new technique, forensic psychological autopsy (FPA), used for the investigation of a suicide case, is being introduced in Karnataka to understand the mental state of a deceased person prior to his/her death.
Mumbai police had used this technique during the investigation of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case, and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team employed FPA in the 2018 Burari deaths in Delhi, reports Deccan Herald.
Karnataka High Court has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe a case of abetment to suicide involving a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer and the assistance of officials from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) has been sought to perform the FPA.
A 33-year-old entrepreneur in Bengaluru, Jeeva S, allegedly committed suicide at home in Padmanabhanagar on November 22, 2024. She had left an 11-page death note, accusing a Deputy Superintendent of Police, BM Kanaka Lakshmi, of ‘harassing and torturing’ her, as Jeeva had been summoned for questioning in a case related to irregularities at the Bhovi Corporation.
An officer in the investigation team said that the FPA would help them understand if the style and process of investigation had led Jeeva to take the extreme step. The team members had spoken to Jeeva’s friends, reviewed interrogation videos, analyzed her suicide note, examined call details and the CCTV camera footage showing Jeeva entering and leaving the interrogation location.
An examination of the video on the interrogation helped the team assess Jeeva’s facial expressions, intonations and responses. There was also a study of the suicide victim’s dress, hair style and physical state on each round of police interrogation, the officer said. A comparison of these records and observations was made, with the team finding that Jeeva expressed stress and lesser interest in herself.
A review of Jeeva’s reactions to the questions of the investigating officer was also conducted to check for any signs of fear or weariness.
The police officers are learned to have spoken to Jeeva’s friends regarding her social behavior and change in interactions after she started attending the interrogations. Further, her phone calls were inspected, with the team finding the analysis to be indicative in nature. The officer has said that Jeeva’s initial firmness and defiance towards interrogation along and call of interrogators gradually turned into a response that indicated fear.
The outcome of the study has been added to the chargesheet, which will be submitted in a few days, said the officer, adding that the police have also been granted sanction for prosecution in the case.
The officer, however, stated that, while the outcome would serve as circumstantial evidence to support police investigation, the results are not conclusive.
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Govt terminates services of IMF ED K V Subramanian 6 months ahead of tenure
New Delhi, May 4 (PTI): Six months ahead of his three-year tenure, the government has terminated the services of K V Subramanian as the executive director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), sources said on Saturday.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has terminated Subramanian's services effective April 30, 2025, they added.
The reasons for Subramanian's exit have not been officially announced.
The sources said the government would soon find his replacement to be nominated to the IMF board.
According to the sources, Subramanian is learnt to have raised questions about the IMF's datasets, which did not go down well in the corridors of the multilateral agency.
Besides, the sources said, concerns were raised over an "alleged impropriety" relating to the promotion and publicity of his latest book, "India @ 100".
Subramanian was appointed as the executive director (India) at the IMF with effect from November 1, 2022 for a period of three years. Prior to this, he served as the chief economic adviser to the government.
The executive board of the IMF is composed of 25 directors (executive directors or EDs) elected by the member countries or groups of countries.
India is in a four-country constituency, along with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan as members.
