A senior police officer attached wih Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) shot himself in a hotel in Mumbai suburban Thane on Saturday.

Sanjay Banerjee, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), fired a couple of rounds from his revolver at arounf 4 pm, police officials informed. The DCP had gone for lunch with his family at the Goa Portuguese restaurant in Thane and shot himself while he was seated at a table.

Banerjee was rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead. The reason behind the suicide is unknown and his body has been sent to Civil Hospital for post-mortem.

"His wife Aishwarya said he was under some work stress. We also came to know that the couple had an argument with each other earlier, but are still investigating," police officers told DNA. 

Banerjee, who joined ATS June last year, was also in the news when Julio F Rebeiro, former Mumbai Police Commissioner, wrote to Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil on the DCP's appointment to sensitive posts.

In a 2010 report by Mumbai Mirror, a letter sent to the Home Minister said that juniors found it difficult to work under him and other senior police officials.

In 2009, Banerjee and a couple of inspectors were issued a notice by the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) asking them to explain the arrest of television actress Aarti Dave. "The police have totally ignored basic decency,'' said Justice Vyas then, adding that guidelines concerning the arrest of a woman were violated. Dave was arrested following a complaint from her neighbours about playing loud music. She was also arrested for behaving indecently in public and set free after a bond.

DCP Banerjee then told The Times of India that he did not receive the notice. He added that he would conduct an independent inquiry, and discipline the officers if the allegations were true.