DCP shot himself accidentally,says wife

Till now,the police had believed that Banerjee had committed suicide. They had said the DCP had consumed four shots of tequila and two mugs of beer before the incident. When contacted,T P Lahane,dean of J J Hospital where the post mortem was conducted,said the wound was consistent with a self-inflicted injury.

The police said that Banerjee had pulled out his pistol at home three days before the incident,when his wife was around. He was then counselled by friends. Police are verifying if there are any independent witnesses to the incident.

While senior officers are still to make an “informed assessment” on the statements given by Banerjee’s family members,a preliminary probe has indicated that he was not under “stress” due to work or any pending salary,but due to some “personal” problems. Banerjee’s family,however,has maintained there were no personal problems,said Raghuvanshi.

Inquiries with the staff at the restaurant where Banerjee died revealed that his behaviour was inconsistent with that of someone contemplating suicide. “Banerjee chatted with the waiter while he was serving the family. He took the waiter’s number,telling him he would call him if he needed to reserve a table in the future,” said an officer with the Kapurbavdi police.