SINGAPORE — The police will be reviewing the allegations of workplace discrimination and referring their findings to the Attorney-General's Chambers for an independent review after Sergeant Uvaraja Gopal was found dead on Friday evening (July 21).
The police said this in a statement on Monday afternoon, in response to allegations made by Sgt Uvaraja, 36, who was an officer at the Ang Mo Kio Police Division.
They also looked into the allegations of racial discrimination against Sgt Uvaraja and found them to be unsubstantiated.
Sgt Uvaraja had claimed in a Facebook post on Friday that he was bullied at the workplace by his superiors, racially abused by his team members, and had sought help but did not receive any.
The police said in a Facebook post on Friday that Sgt Uvaraja was found dead at the foot of Block 393 Yishun Avenue 6 that day, and that they would be investigating his allegations. They do not suspect foul play.
In response to the allegations, the police said on Monday that Sgt Uvaraja had made a number of complaints against his superiors and peers over the years, and was facing "substantial challenges" at work.
His superiors tried to help him in a number of ways, which included coaching him on his performance issues and transfers at his request to six different work units in nine years, they said.
He had also been given additional leave since 2015 beyond his usual leave entitlement, said the police.
For example, in 2022, he was at work for fewer than 30 days and was on various types of leave, including extended sick leave, unrecorded leave and no pay leave.
In 2023, he had been at work for fewer than 25 days for similar reasons, said the police.
Sgt Uvaraja was also given counselling and psychological assistance at various points from 2016, they added.
Most recently, in January 2023, he was assigned a para-counsellor after he reported experiencing work stress. Para-counsellors do not possess formal counselling qualifications, but are trained in basic counselling, crisis intervention and peer support.
On Feb 16, he was transferred to a new unit and showed signs of being emotionally unstable. He was seen by a para-counsellor on the same day and was later attended to by a psychologist from the Police Psychological Services Department.
Due to safety concerns, he was relieved from carrying firearms from Feb 16 onwards, said the police.
In his Facebook post, Sgt Uvaraja had also complained about the misconduct of fellow officers.
For instance, he said that he reported seeing officers vaping on police premises in 2021, but alleged that the matter was covered up by the internal investigator of the case.
In response, the police said that Sgt Uvaraja had alerted his supervisors in August 2021 that he saw fellow officers vaping in the compound. An independent supervisor was tasked to perform searches for e-cigarettes and vaping devices and interview the officers involved.
However, the police were not able to find evidence of wrongdoing and thus no disciplinary action was taken.
In a separate incident in January 2023, Sgt Uvaraja, who was then transferred to a different police unit, alerted his supervisors that he had spotted fellow officers smoking.
Investigations found evidence of this infringement and disciplinary action was subsequently taken against those involved.
Following both incidents, his supervisors facilitated his request to transfer to another unit to start afresh as he felt uncomfortable working with the colleagues he had reported on, said the police.
[[nid:640066]]
The police also noted that Sgt Uvaraja had tensions with his family. On July 13 afternoon, the police received multiple calls for assistance at his parents' residence. When they arrived, they found Sgt Uvaraja having a dispute with his family over financial matters.
He had also allegedly assaulted his brother and, as a result, the police commenced an investigation against him for voluntarily causing hurt and intentional harassment. This was a pending case, the police added.
The next day, on July 14, Sgt Uvaraja's mother lodged a police report against him, saying that she feared for her safety.
This was followed by a call for police assistance later in the day by Sgt Uvaraja's sister-in-law who said he was outside her house. He left the area after the police arrived.
The police said they had informed Sgt Uvaraja's parents and his brothers about disclosing this information to the public and the family members were understanding of the release of the information.
The findings will be submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers as well as to the Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, who will decide on whether a further review is required.
The police also thanked Sgt Uvaraja and his family for his service of more than 10 years and is providing them with their "fullest assistance".
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
