Singapore minister asks police to probe racial bias faced by deceased Indian-origin cop

Following the death of an Indian-origin cop in Singapore, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam has asked police to investigate claims of racial discrimination, workplace bullying and other allegations.

Uvaraja Gopal, 36, died in hospital on Friday after he was found lying motionless at the foot of a residential block in Yishun, The Straits Times reported, citing Singapore police.

Offering his condolences to Gopal’s family, Shanmugam said Gopal died “under tragic circumstances”, and asked Singapore police to look into the allegations made by the officer before his death.

“(Mr Uvaraja) has put up a post, which among other things, says he faced racial discrimination in SPF (Singapore Police Force). These and other allegations are serious,” Shanmugam said in a Facebook post on July 21.

“I have asked SPF to investigate the matter thoroughly. We will get to the bottom of it. And be accountable. We have a clear policy of non-discrimination. All officers are entitled to be treated fairly. SPF as an organisation is committed to that principle. We will investigate the facts,” Shanmugam wrote.

In a Facebook post, which has since been made unavailable, Gopal had said he was bullied at the workplace by his superiors and racially abused by his team members, and claimed that he had sought help but did not receive any.

“The police were aware of the challenges at work which had been raised by the officer in his Facebook post, and we had extended various assistance to him,” the SPF said in a post shared on Facebook.

They further said that they did not suspect foul play, and that investigations are ongoing into the unnatural death.

“We will be looking thoroughly and will investigate into all the issues he has raised in his post,” police said.

“We are all deeply saddened by the passing of a colleague. We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the officer and are assisting the family in their time of grief.”