An Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP posted at Delhi Police headquarters allegedly jumped to death from the 10th floor of the building in Central Delhi on Thursday.

ACP Prem Ballabh Joshi, who had reported to his office on the eighth floor at 10 am on Thursday, was found lying on the ground at 10.15 am. Police personnel deployed in the PHQ security heard a loud thud and rushed towards it. ACP Joshi was found lying in a pool of blood. 

During the enquiry, certain documents including a handwritten note purportedly written by ACP Ballabh has been recovered.

He had clarified in the note that nobody is responsible for his death. Further enquiry is going on, said the senior police official.

He was immediately rushed to LNJP hospital by police van and was declared brought dead. Joshi was posted with Crime & Traffic (C&NT) unit of Delhi Police.

Police believe that he ended his life as he was reportedly depressed. He had reported to his duties on Friday last after a month’s medical leave. The death of ACP Joshi sent shock wave among his colleagues and senior officers. People could not come to the term that an affable man who was wedded to his sincerity in completing assigned tasks could go like this.

Meanwhile senior officers said a probe has been launched to ascertain the reasons that could have driven ACP Joshi to the brink.

He had joined the Delhi Police as Head Constable in 1986 and was promoted to the rank of ACP in 2016. He had served as personal assistant to senior officers of the Delhi Police, an official said. In 2016 Ballabh was honoured with Police Medal for Meritorious Service  and promoted to the ACP rank in 2017. He had joined the Delhi Police as Sub-Inspector.

“The incident occurred at 10.15 am on Thursday. Initial probe suggests that ACP Prem Ballabh was being treated for depression at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital,” said Rajesh Khurana, Joint Commissioner of Police, Central Range.

According a senior police official, ACP Ballabh was on medical leave for last 28 days and had joined office five days ago. “Ballabh, was a sincere and hardworking person. It is difficult to say what was the provocation that drew him to take such an extreme step”, the official added.

Whereas, family members of  ACP Ballabh said he wasn’t suffering from depression but had a treatment for some illness. “His hand used to shiver sometime for which he had a treatment in GTB hospital. As a daily routine he left for office today. If he was in depression he might have told us,” said Kamal Joshi, brother of the deceased. “We are still a joint family and we all stay together at our home at Vijay Park. His two children are working in a private company and one is studying so there was no financial issue also,” said Kamal.

ACP Ballabh hails from Kumao region in Uttrakhand and is survived by his wife and three sons- Rahul (23), Kapil (21) and Rohit (19). Rahul and Kapil are working in a private company where as Rohit is studying in a college. His father had died in 1991 and all three brothers used to stay in the house built by their father at Vijay Park in Maujpur area of Delhi. “He and other two brothers — Kamal is employed with Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Harish Joshi is an accountant in a financial firm at Connaught Place. They all stayed together in three storeyed building and all of them had jolly nature. I never saw any sign of depression on Ballabh’s face,” said Chandan, a neighbour.