DCP kin deny marital issues,say he had not received salary for past 8 months

Family members of Deputy Commissioner of Police Anti-Terrorism Squad Sanjay Banerjee,who shot himself at a restaurant in Thane

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 had not been 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 with his salary,but I dont 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, Banerjees father Anil said.

A former IPS officer himself,Anil rushed to Mumbai from Pune on Saturday night after Banerjees elder son Arjun 14 gave him the news.

A member of Banerjees family said there was no marital discord. The relative said Sushmita had visited her parents house only 13 to 15 times while they were married and she was happy with Banerjee.

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 Banerjees cellphone and found no calls or text messages that could have triggered his 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,As of now,this is a case of accidental death. Police sources,however,said Banerjee had consumed alcohol before he shot himself. He had consumed six or seven pegs, said a senior police officer. The police have requested call data analysis of Banerjees cellphone. The contents of his computer will also be analysed,police said.