IPS officer’s ‘suicide’: Pressure mounts on Haryana govt after ‘weak’ FIR, no autopsy

The controversy over Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar’s death refuses to die down.

A week after Kumar allegedly shot himself, citing caste-based discrimination, his family has written three complaints demanding strict action. Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarnia have been named as accused. 

The top cop has been sent on leave and protests are expected in Chandigarh on Wednesday.

Kumar’s wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, had earlier written to the Chandigarh SSP, pointing to what she said was a diluted FIR with weaker sections and little clarity on the accused. There has neither been a postmortem nor last rites since the family insists on arrests as a condition.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi met the officer’s family in Chandigarh, and urged Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “act now”. He said the incident concerned all Dalits and that the state government had failed to fulfill its promise of a free and fair investigation into the “systematic” harassment faced by Kumar that allegedly led to his death.

This comes after a 31-member committee, advocating for justice for Kumar, issued a 48-hour ultimatum on Sunday to suspend and arrest DGP Shatrujeet Kapur, one of the main accused.

The committee, comprising Kumar’s family and Dalit organisations, now plans to stage a protest in Chandigarh on Wednesday to demand the DGP’s arrest. Advocate OP Inder, a committee member, told Newslaundry: “If the accused are not suspended and arrested, we will shut down Chandigarh on October 15.” 

Meanwhile, Kumar’s body hasn’t yet been sent for the postmortem as the family refused to give consent, insisting on the arrest of the accused named in his suicide note.

Amid all this, Kumar’s house in Chandigarh’s Sector 11 has become a political epicenter with ministers, officials, and opposition party leaders flocking to the residence, with constant media presence from dawn to dusk.

The case

Puran Kumar allegedly died by suicide at his Sector 11 residence after writing an eight-page note. 

In his letter, Puran Kumar named 15 officials, including Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, DGP Kapur, and nine IPS officers. He also implicated retired officers: former chief secretary TVSN Prasad, former ACS (Home) Rajiv Arora, and former DGPs Manoj Yadav and PK Aggarwal. 

Kumar had recounted being denied leave to meet his dying father in 2023 due to Arora’s refusal, calling it an “irreparable loss”. He described relentless caste-based harassment, vehicle confiscation, and false cases, stating, “The IAS and IPS officers have crossed all limits of oppression, and I no longer have the courage to tolerate it. I hold these officers responsible for my final step.”

Meanwhile, his wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, who was on an official tour of Japan with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, returned on October 8. She immediately filed a complaint with Sector 11 Police, refusing a post-mortem and demanding an FIR under Section 108 and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Haryana DGP Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarnia. 

She alleged a conspiracy to frame her husband, citing a false FIR filed against his staff member on October 6 at Rohtak’s Urban Estate Police Station. Despite Kumar’s calls to the DGP and SP, no action was allegedly taken.

She also detailed a pattern of caste-based abuse: mental harassment, public humiliation, and denial of access to places of worship due to his Scheduled Caste identity. Senior officials, she claimed, systematically tormented him, leading to his suicide. The complaint was copied to top state and Union officials.

From October 9, a steady stream of political leaders, officials, and social activists visited the residence. 

Chief Minister Saini met the family, promising strict action and holding a high-level meeting with Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, DGP Kapur, and Minister Krishan Lal Panwar. Despite this, no FIR was registered initially, prompting Dalit organisations to mobilise. A meeting at Guru Ravidas Temple in Sector 20D saw leaders from multiple Ravidas, Kabir, Valmiki, and Ambedkar Sabhas, though the media was barred. These groups later met the CM at 5 pm, issuing a warning of agitation if justice was delayed.

Amneet’s second letter to the CM on October 8 reiterated demands: immediate FIR registration, suspension and arrest of the accused, and lifelong security for her daughters, who she said were under threat. She criticised the inaction, attributing it to the accused’s influence within the administration. 

A third complaint to the Chandigarh SSP on October 9 highlighted flaws in the FIR: accused names were missing from Column 7, listed only as “as per final note,” and the SC/ST Act sections were diluted. She demanded inclusion of Section 3(2)(v), which prescribes life imprisonment for caste-based murder, and certified copies of both suicide notes – one from his pocket, another from his laptop bag – still withheld.

An FIR was finally registered late on October 9. 

On October 12, it was amended with stricter charges, including 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act, but the accused names remained undisclosed. The family and Dalit groups rejected this as insufficient. Rohtak SP Bijarnia was removed and replaced by IPS Surendra Singh Bhoria, but the family demands DGP Kapur’s removal and arrest of both.

After Kapur was sent on leave amid the probe, the state government on Tuesday gave 1991-batch IPS officer OP Singh the additional charge of Haryana DGP. 

Committee demanding justice

A 31-member committee, led by spokesperson Professor Jai Narayan, was formed on October 12 to guide the family’s response. 

Over two dozen Dalit and social organisations, including Ravidas Sabha, Ambedkar Sabhas from Rohtak, Hisar, and Sonipat, and Valmiki groups, participated in a Mahapanchayat at Valmiki Gurudwara, Sector 20, with significant Sikh community presence.

Dinesh Valmiki, state convener of the Ambedkar Valmiki Adhikar Manch, declared the post-mortem would only proceed after receiving arrest and termination orders. Tensions flared when the body was moved from Sector 16 Hospital to PGI. The family protested, threatening to reject the body. The Chandigarh DGP intervened, confirming no post-mortem would occur without consent, and the body was returned.

Political visits continued – Congress MP Kumari Selja, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Dushyant Chautala, Aman Arora, Kishore Makwana, and Rahul Gandhi, who arrived on Tuesday.

The Haryana government has put on hold its decision to organise a massive event in Sonipat to mark one year of the Saini government. Media reports indicated it was done in light of the controversy.

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