Singapore probes racial discrimination faced by Indian-origin officer before death

Singapore: Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam has asked the Singapore Police Force (SPF) to investigate claims made by an Indian-origin police officer who said he faced racial discrimination and bullying at the workplace, among other allegations just before he died.

Uvaraja Gopal, 36, identified as a police officer, was found lying motionless at the foot of an apartment block in the Yishun housing estate and was transported to the hospital on Friday, where he died.

In a Facebook post on Friday evening, Shanmugam offered his deepest condolences to Gopal's family and said that he had asked the police to look into the allegations made by the officer before his death.

“He has put up a post, which amongst other things, says he faced racial discrimination in SPF. These and other allegations are serious,” Channel News Asia cited Shanmugam’s post.

“I have asked SPF to investigate the matter thoroughly. We will get to the bottom of it. And be accountable.” Shanmugam reiterated "a clear policy of non-discrimination" and that all officers are entitled to be treated fairly.

“SPF as an organisation is committed to that principle. We will investigate the facts,” he added.

The officer's allegations, which also mentioned a toxic work culture, first came to light in a Facebook post. The post has since been deleted, but several screenshots were reposted on Reddit.

He also wrote that he had sought help, but was shunned and turned away.

In a Facebook post, the police said they were "aware" of the challenges at work which had been raised by the officer, and "had extended various assistance to him".

“We will look thoroughly and investigate into all the issues he has raised in his (Facebook) post," the police said.

The police also said they were assisting the officer's family in their time of grief and that an investigation was ongoing into his death.