Haryana IPS officer 'suicide': Oppn steps up attack on govt; no breakthrough in impasse over autopsy

Chandigarh, Oct 13 (PTI) Opposition leaders on Monday intensified their attack on the Haryana government over IPS officer Y Puran Kumar's alleged suicide, demanding swift action on his "final note" and the police complaint filed by his wife against the officers accused of harassing him.

There was no breakthrough in the stalemate over Kumar's autopsy and cremation, with his family members refusing to budge, seven days after the incident.

In an eight-page final note purportedly left behind by Kumar after he allegedly ended his life, he accused eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and now-transferred Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, of “blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities”.

Amneet P Kumar has demanded that Kapur and Bijarniya be named in the FIR for allegedly abetting her husband's suicide. Bijarniya was transferred on Saturday.

The officer's family has so far refused to give consent for a post-mortem examination and cremation of the body until its demands are addressed. The Haryana government and the Chandigarh authorities have been making efforts to persuade Kumar's wife, senior IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, serving in Haryana.

Among the leaders from opposition parties who visited the Kumar's Sector 24 residence here were Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Congress MP from Rohtak Deepender Singh Hooda, INLD chief Abhay Singh Chautala and Punjab Finance Minister and AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema.

While condoling the death of the officer, they also demanded that justice be delivered to the family.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Vikramarka said he came to Chandigarh to console the family members of Kumar, who hailed from the southern state. He described the alleged suicide as "extremely sad" and demanded that the government immediately act against the officers named in Kumar's "dying declaration" (final note).

"Y Puran Kumar gave up his life and in his dying declaration, he mentioned particularly about two officers, Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and the then Rohtak SP Narendra (Bijarniya), stating that they have humiliated him, insulted him, and they are the root cause for his suicide," he said.

He demanded that the government immediately act upon his "dying declaration" and take action against the officers responsible.

He said Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had spoken to Kumar's family.

"An officer coming from Hyderabad who was so highly educated, he committed suicide, it is so unfortunate," he said.

Congress leader from Haryana, Deepender Singh Hooda, called for a fair and independent investigation into Kumar's suicide and said it is the government's responsibility to restore public confidence in the system.

This will only happen when justice is served, the Rohtak MP told reporters after meeting Kumar's wife here.

Punjab Minister Harpal Cheema alleged that action was not being taken against the "accused" in the FIR as the Haryana government was trying to "save the culprits".

"An impartial and independent investigation should be held and immediate action should be taken against the accused so that justice can be given to the family," Cheema said.

INLD chief Abhay Singh Chautala said that for the last 10 years, Kumar has been continuously reporting his difficulties to the government, detailing who was harassing him and how.

If the BJP government had been well-intentioned, it should have taken cognisance of the complaints made at that time, Chautala said.

After meeting Kumar's family, Chautala said he assured the entire family that until justice is served, he will not only stand with them but will also pressure the government to ensure a fair investigation and strict action against the "culprits".

To ensure justice for the family of Kumar, the INLD also submitted a memorandum to Punjab Governor-cum-Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, urging him, as the Administrator of the UT, to take immediate steps for concrete action in this case.

Fifty-two-year-old Kumar, a 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, allegedly shot himself dead on October 7.

After the registration of an FIR, Chandigarh police constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team for "prompt, impartial and thorough investigation" into the case.

A 31-member committee formed to seek "justice" for the deceased officer's family on Sunday gave a 48-hour ultimatum to act against Kapur and Bijarniya. PTI SUN VSD RHL