Neighbours of Dead SPF Officer in Yishun Gave More Details About Him

Last Updated on 2023-07-25 , 11:40 am

Yishun is back on the news again, but this time for a heavy matter.

A Singapore Police Force (SPF) officer was found dead at the foot of a Yishun HDB block. Apparently, he had taken his own life after being the victim of workplace discrimination and bullying for decades.

While investigations are ongoing, his neighbours have revealed more details about the officer.

SPF Officer Found Dead in Yishun; Leaves Behind Facebook Post Detailing Reasons

Before we get to what the officer’s neighbours shared, here’s a quick TLDR of the incident for those of you who have been spending all your time on news of Singapore’s, ahem, “third-party” politics, so to speak.

On the evening of Friday (21 July), the 36-year-old SPF officer, Mr Uvaraja Gopal, was found unconscious at the foot of Block 393 Yishun Avenue.

He was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead.

Earlier, he wrote a lengthy Facebook post recounting his experience in the SPF as a victim of workplace discrimination and bullying.

Among the allegations against his co-workers, he mentioned instances of “backstabbing” and name-calling at SPF.

He wrapped up the post with a rather heavy statement: “I really love this uniform and work but not the toxic work culture. This is Sgt T120387. Signing out. I will die with my integrity, pride and dignity.”

You can read more about the incident here.

Neighbours of SPF Officer Disclose Further Details on Incident

The SPF officer’s neighbours have since weighed in on the incident, disclosing more details about the officer’s life and death.

According to interviews conducted by 8world, the SPF officer was wearing a police uniform when witnesses found him at the foot of the block.

One neighbour, who stays on the same floor as the deceased, shared that on the fateful afternoon of the officer’s death, the officer had told him: “Tell others that you have a good neighbour.”

Of course, this left the SPF officer’s neighbour in quite some confusion. It wasn’t until the neighbour subsequently learnt of the officer’s death that he understood what the officer had said to him.

SPF Officer’s Wife Allegedly Left Home for Four Months

8world also managed to interview the neighbourhood’s “loremaster,” so to speak.

The neighbour revealed that the SPF officer was often heard quarrelling with his wife, who, according to the neighbour, did not seem like an “easygoing” person.

At one point, the officer’s wife even left home for four months after a huge quarrel.

Neighbours of SPF Officer Share Their Impressions of Him

Neighbours of the SPF officer also shared with 8world their impressions of the officer.

Several adjectives were thrown around by the officer’s neighbours to describe him—considerate, introverted, and even gloomy.

Well, the gloominess is understandable in the context of the Facebook post.

One neighbour shared that the SPF officer would greet acquaintances whenever he bumped into them in the vicinity. Other neighbours shared that they had little to no impression of the SPF officer as they hardly spoke to him.

All that aside, we’re sure that most neighbours’ impressions of the SPF officer changed after reading about his plight on Facebook.

The SPF has since been instructed by Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

Hopefully as thorough, or even more thorough, than the Ridout Road investigations…

“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 added.