Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar cremated in Chandigarh; wife hopes for fair probe into his suicide

Chandigarh, Oct 15 (PTI) Eight days after he allegedly shot himself dead, the cremation of Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar took place here on Wednesday following his autopsy at the PGIMER with his wife expressing hope for an impartial probe into the matter so that "justice is served at the earliest".

Emotional scenes were witnessed at the Sector 25 cremation ground with several mourners raising slogans in favour of Puran Kumar.

His wife and senior Haryana bureaucrat Amneet P Kumar, two daughters, and brother-in-law and Punjab AAP MLA Amit Rattan paid their final respects before the last rites were performed.

Puran Kumar's two daughters lit the funeral pyre.

A guard of honour was presented by a police contingent.

Puran Kumar (52), a 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, allegedly committed suicide at his Sector 11 private residence on October 7.

Among those present at the cremation included a few politicians from across parties. Haryana ministers Krishan Lal Panwar and Shyam Singh Rana, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwa, Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal, and Haryana Congress MLAs Ashok Arora, Pooja Chaudhry and Nirmal Singh attended the cremation.

Prominent among senior officers who were present included Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, State DGP O P Singh, Chandigarh DGP Sagar Preet Hooda, and Haryana's Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sumita Misra.

Representatives of various Dalit bodies were also present.

Wreaths were laid as a mark of respect by several persons including ministers Panwar and Rana.

Some people outside the cremation ground complex raised slogans against the Haryana government.

After the completion of the postmortem at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) earlier, the body of Puran Kumar was taken to Amneet Kumar's official residence in Chandigarh.

Later, the mortal remains were taken in a funeral van with Kumar's photograph in police uniform at the front side of the vehicle to the cremation ground in Sector 25 here, which is at a short distance from the Kumar's Sector 24 residence.

Security personnel were deployed in strength at the cremation ground.

After resisting for several days, the deceased officer's family finally gave consent for a postmortem examination, ending the impasse over the autopsy.

For the autopsy, a board of doctors was constituted with arrangements in place for videography and photography, and its report will be submitted to the Chandigarh Police SIT investigating the case.

The Haryana government Tuesday sent DGP Shatrujeet Kapur on leave amid opposition's attack on the BJP dispensation over Puran Kumar's alleged suicide, and demand by his family for action against the officers accused of harassing him.

Last week, the state government had also transferred Narendra Bijarniya as Rohtak SP.

In an eight-page "final note" purportedly left behind by Puran Kumar, who was last posted as IG in Police Training Centre in Rohtak's Sunaria, he accused eight senior IPS officers of blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities.

In a statement, Amneet Kumar said she gave consent for postmortem after receiving assurance from the Chandigarh Police that a fair probe will be conducted and a commitment from Haryana government that action will be taken against any "erring" officials.

"...Considering the evidentiary importance of a timely postmortem 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.

"I have full faith in the Judiciary and the police authorities, and I sincerely hope that the investigation will be conducted in a professional, impartial, and time-bound manner, so that the truth emerges in accordance with law," said the senior Haryana IAS officer.

She said her full cooperation will continue to be extended to the investigating team so that the process is expedited and "justice is served" at the earliest.

A flurry of activities had followed after the death of Puran Kumar.

His family had earlier refused to give consent for the autopsy, insisting that action be taken against those officers who were named in the "final note" of the IPS officer.

Political leaders across parties made a beeline at Amneet Kumar's residence in Sector-24 to express grief with the family.

A twist in the IPS officer's suicide case came on Tuesday when Assistant Sub- Inspector Sandeep Kumar shot himself dead and purportedly levelled corruption allegations against Puran Kumar.

ASI Sandeep Kumar's alleged suicide came amid the row over Puran Kumar's death, which has led to a shakeup of the police brass and also become a huge political issue. PTI SUN CHS VSD KVK KVK