Haryana’s senior Dalit IPS officer, ADGP Y Puran Kumar, Sandeep Kumar.
Credit: X/ @INCKarnataka, X/@journo_jitendra
Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar was found dead in his Chandigarh residence on October 7 and his body, with a gunshot wound, in a room in the basement of the Sector 11 house. Kumar, 52, was a 2001-batch Indian Police Service officer, and was recently posted as the Inspector General of the Police Training Centre (PTC) in Rohtak's Sunaria. He was known for intervening in matters related to seniority issues and officer rights.
Officials found an eight-page 'final note' and a 'will.' The 'final note' included allegations against senior officials on caste-based discrimination, public humiliation, targeted mental harassment, and atrocities are being continued on every matter pertaining to him, as reported by PTI.
Haryana CM meets deceased's wife, she demands for justice
Kumar's wife Amneet sought the help of Haryana's chief minister Nayab Singh Saini. In her memorandum to the CM, she mentioned, "It is most distressing that, despite the existence of a clear and detailed suicide note and a formal complaint, no FIR has been registered till date."
"The suicide note explicitly names the individuals responsible for creating an atmosphere of harassment, humiliation and mental torture, which directly led to this tragic act. This note constitutes a dying declaration and must be treated as crucial evidence demanding immediate legal action," she said.
After the registration of the FIR, she claimed it contained "incomplete information", and sought its amendment to "accurately reflect the names of all the accused".
Family refuses consent for post-mortem
The body of the IPS officer, which was kept at the Government Multi Specialty Hospital in Sector 16, was shifted to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Saturday (October 11). His family issued a statement saying that his body has been shifted to the PGIMER without consulting them. They also did not consent to a post-mortem until their calls for justice were heard.
Police soon added charges to the FIR registered in the alleged suicide case of following a plea by his wife to add the "relevant provisions" of the SC/ST Act.
Action demanded over alleged harassment
Puran's 'final note' mentioned the names of officers under which he faced mental harassments. The Haryana government sent state DGP Shatrujeet Kapur on leave, amid mounting attacks from the opposition over the alleged suicide, and transferred Narendra Bijarniya, former Rohtak Superintendent of Police soon after.
Many politicians, Dalit groups members, and citizens led protests to demand justice. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the deceased officer's family and called for the respect of all Dalits. He requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the state government to take strict and immediate action to arrest the officials responsible.
Cop accuses deceased Puran Kumar of corruption before killing self
The case has taken a new turn since the death of one Sandeep Kumar, an assistant sub-inspector in Rohtak's cyber cell, made a video before dying by suicide where he accused Puran of corruption. Sandeep alleged that Puran was a "corrupt cop" and died by suicide when he got fearful that his graft cases would be exposed. Sandeep, in his video, also proclaimed support for former Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya, who was transferred.
Family gives consent for autopsy
In a recent development, Puran's family have consented to conduct post-mortem for the deceased. His wife, in a statement, said "Considering the evidentiary importance of a timely post-mortem and in the larger interest of justice, I have agreed for the same to be carried out as per prescribed procedure, by the constituted Board of Doctors, with the presence of a ballistic expert, under the supervision of a magistrate, and with videography of the entire process to ensure complete transparency."
The cremation of officer Y Puran Kumar will take place in Chandigarh at 4 pm today.