SINGAPORE - At the time of his suicide, the late Sergeant Uvaraja Gopal had been facing three ongoing criminal and disciplinary investigations.

Just hours before his death, he made a series of claims against the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a Facebook post.

Sgt Uvaraja had alleged workplace bullying, the cover-up of police misconduct, unfair treatment and ostracism. He had also claimed to have faced racial discrimination at work.

At the time of his death, Sgt Uvaraja was under criminal investigation for offences under the Penal Code and the Protection from Harassment Act.

He was also under two internal disciplinary investigations for disobeying orders.

In July 2023, he had left his home on multiple occasions despite being on medical leave.

In April 2023, he left his uncompleted work unattended and refused to return to finish it.

Sgt Uvaraja returned only after being told to do so a third time.

In his ministerial statement in Parliament on Feb 6, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said the authorities investigated Sgt Uvaraja’s claims and found some to be true.

Mr Shanmugam said these allegations have been dealt with.

Sgt Uvaraja, 36, died on July 21, 2023, after being found motionless at the foot of Block 393 Yishun Avenue 6. He had more than 10 years’ service, and was last an officer with Ang Mo Kio Police Division.

Ill-treatment, bullying allegations

Sgt Uvaraja had claimed to have been ill-treated and bullied by his superiors and colleagues, and that racially inappropriate language had been used against him.

Internal investigations in 2015 found offensive language had indeed been used by the officers involved, but it was not directed at Sgt Uvaraja.

Mr Shanmugam said: “The remarks were not acceptable at all. It doesn’t matter whether they were directed at Uvaraja or they were not directed at Uvaraja. They were and are not acceptable, period.”

The officer involved apologised to Sgt Uvaraja in front of the whole team, while Sgt Uvaraja was also offered the option of lodging an official complaint.

He declined to do so.

Mr Shanmugam said: “We cannot tolerate racism. Nor can we tolerate casual racism, snide remarks, jokes which are racist.”

He had previously noted that 40 per cent of police officers are from minority races.

In 2019, Sgt Uvaraja claimed that his superior shredded his leave form and uploaded the act to a chat group.

Investigations found that he had applied for discretionary time off, which did not require a submission form. It was not the first time he had applied for time off at the last minute.

Previously, Sgt Uvaraja’s teammates, who were on leave, had to be recalled to cover for him.

Sgt Uvaraja’s superior admitted to shredding his leave form and uploading a recording to the team group chat.

The superior was reprimanded for not behaving professionally, and not managing the situation better.

Investigations found that Sgt Uvaraja’s claims that different superiors had used abusive language against him were not true.

Alleged cover-up

On his claim of cover-ups of misconduct in the force, investigations found that Sgt Uvaraja had made a complaint in 2021 about fellow officers vaping within police compounds.

Sgt Uvaraja’s commander at the time had directed an independent superior to conduct a surprise check – but the complaint was not made out.

In 2023, he reported officers smoking within a different police compound.

Investigations found evidence of this, and the officers involved were referred to the Internal Affairs Office. They have since been disciplined.

Unfair appraisals

Sgt Uvaraja claimed he was given unfair performance appraisals, which affected his career.

Mr Shanmugam said investigations found this to be untrue as Sgt Uvaraja was given opportunities to apply for postings.

At his request, he was transferred to six different work units in nine years.

Mr Shanmugam said: “Those who know about the police force will know that that is a significant number of postings. This is significantly more than what is normally given.”

Investigations also found his performance grades were a fair assessment of his work contributions.

Ostracism

Lastly, Sergeant Uvaraja claimed he was treated as an outcast within his team. In his Facebook post, he claimed nobody from his team attended his wedding.

Investigations found that he had invited only his officer-in-charge, who was unable to attend as he fell ill that day.

Mr Shanmugam said the police and Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) reviewed all allegations made by Sgt Uvaraja, and the AGC decided that no further action was needed.

Mr Shanmugam said the late sergeant’s family had been told in detail what his ministerial statement would contain.

He said: “They know and understand why we have to set out the facts, because Uvaraja had made serious allegations.”

Mr Shanmugam said that if there is wrongdoing, it must be dealt with. He said not doing so would result in the public losing trust in the police.

But if the allegations are unfounded, the police must be defended publicly and robustly, he added.

He said: “If this is not done and untruths are allowed to fester, morale in (the) SPF will go down, and public trust will be eroded.”

Personal issues

Mr Shanmugam said investigations showed the SPF had supported Sgt Uvaraja, who was dealing with a number of personal issues.

He said: “Throughout his career as a police officer, he had frequently applied for medical leave for periods that sometimes ran into several months in a year.”

Mr Shanmugam added that Sgt Uvaraja seemed to have faced psychological stresses and chronic insomnia since 2017. He also displayed anxiety and depressive symptoms.

To support Sgt Uvaraja, the SPF allowed him to take substantial time off over his career.

From 2014 to 2023, he took an average of 120 days of leave annually.

Beyond his health issues, Sgt Uvaraja seemingly had a tense relationship with his wife and family.

Investigations showed multiple police calls were made by them against Sgt Uvaraja between April and July in 2023.

In April 2023, his wife called the police after an argument. She claimed he had stopped her from leaving their matrimonial home.

In July 2023, his brother alleged that Sgt Uvaraja had assaulted him over a financial matter.

In the same month, his mother called the police, saying she feared for her safety. On the same day, his sister-in-law called the police as Sgt Uvaraja had appeared at her home to look for his parents.

Mr Shanmugam said Sgt Uvaraja’s superiors had provided face-to-face engagements, reviews and target-setting to help guide him.

Officers had also tried to encourage him via one-on-one talks.

Mr Shanmugam said some officers helped to cover Sgt Uvaraja’s shifts when he was absent, even when they had prior leave plans.

The minister said: “Despite all that, he seemed to have externalised many of his issues onto his colleagues in the SPF. There is considerable sadness at that.”