DCP kin deny marital issues, say he had not been paid for several months

THE family members of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Anti-Terrorism Squad) Sanjay Banerjee, who shot himself at a restaurant in Thane, on Sunday said that he was not getting his salary for the last seven to eight months. However, they said this was barely a reason why Banerjee, who they described as 'a fighter', would take the drastic step. They also denied reports of problems between Banerjee and his wife Sushmita.

"My son was a brave man and I cannot think of why he would take such an extreme step. There were some problems about his salary, but I don't believe that this would have affected him that much. Besides, his seniors, including ATS chief Rakesh Maria, were supportive of him. Maria was like an elder brother to him and had personally exchanged letters with the Home Ministry about his salary issue," Banerjee's father Anil said.

A former IPS officer himself, Anil rushed to Mumbai from Pune on Saturday night after Banerjee's elder son Arjun (14) gave him the news over the phone.

A member of Banerjee's family said there was no question of marital discord. The relative said Sushmita had visited her parents' house only 13 to 15 times during the time they were married and she was happy being with her husband.

Police, meanwhile, said they could not make much headway in the case as the family was still in a state of shock.

"We have checked Banerjee's cell phone and found no calls or text messages that could have triggered the extreme step. Investigations so far confirm that there was no fight between the husband and wife," said Thane police commissioner K P Raghuvanshi.

Senior inspector B R Chaudhari of Kapurbavdi police station said, "Nothing in our investigations has pointed to any problems at work or any other possible motive. As of now, this is a case of accidental death."

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