Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam instructed the Singapore Police Force (SPF) to look into the claims that were made by an Indian-origin police officer regarding facing racial discrimination and bullying at his workplace. 36-year-old Uvarja Gopal who worked as a police officer in the Singapore Police Force was found to be lying motionless at the foot of an apartment block in the Yishun housing estate following which he was rushed to a hospital where he died on Friday, as reported by news agency PTI.
Shanmugan in a Facebook post on Friday extended his deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and said that he has asked the police to look into the allegations made by the officer before his death. Channel News Asia while citing his post said, “He has put up a post, which amongst other things, says he faced racial discrimination in SPF. These and other allegations are serious. In his post, he reiterated, “I have asked SPF to investigate the matter thoroughly. We’ll get to the bottom of it. And be accountable. SPF as an organization is committed to that principle. We will investigate the facts.
The officer’s allegations included a toxic work culture and it first came to light in a Facebook post. The post has been deleted since then, however, several screenshots of it have been posted on Reddit, as per PTI.
In the post, he also wrote that he had sought help but he was shunned and turned away.
The Police then responded in a Facebook post and said that they were “aware” of the challenges at work, and “had extended various assistance to him,” reported PTI. They added, “We will look thoroughly and investigate into all the issues he has raised in his (Facebook) post.”
As per PTI, the police have also said that they were assisting the officer’s family in their time of grief and an investigation into the matter has been launched.