JOIN USThe cause of death was cardiac arrest. The body was later shifted to the mortuary attached to Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC & RI). The Nazarbad police registered a case of unnatural death.
What makes Gopi’s death tragic is that he could not clear the endurance test even though this was his second attempt at joining the police force. A BA BEd-holder, Gopi had unsuccessfully appeared for the recruitment test for sub-inspectors last year.
Undeterred, he wanted to make it in the second attempt. He went through a training regimen and ran the distance daily so he could clear the final hurdle with ease.
Advice ignored
Ironically, his father, Sidappa, dissuaded him from taking the endurance test on Tuesday. But Gopi, the only son, ignored his father’s advise, saying he would try his luck a second time. Learning about his son’s sudden death, Siddappa broke down and fell unconscious at the mortuary.
Sidappa was rushed to K R Hospital, but he returned to be by his son’s body, wailing and cursing his fate. “Gopi, I had told you not to go,” was all Sidappa could cry aloud. Once an autopsy was done, the body was later handed over to relatives for cremation.
IGP (Southern Range) Jeevan Kumar V Gaonkar and SP Rama Subba visited the mortuary. Describing the incident as “sad”, Gaonkar said the recruitment process, which was suspended for the day, would resume on Wednesday and will continue till September 4.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, DIG (Training and Recruitment) Ulfat Hussain said Gopi’s death was “tragic”. But he added that in accordance with the new rules introduced this year, “a male person has to run 1,600 metres” and that “they should practice hard” before taking part in the physical endurance test.
“In Delhi Police’s tests, women candidates run a distance of 1,600 metres. So we decided to raise the bar for men this year. After all, we need tough men,” said Hussain.