IPS officer 'suicide': Haryana minister hopes family will agree to holding last rites of cop

Chandigarh, Oct 12 (PTI) Haryana Minister Krishan Kumar Bedi expressed hope that the family of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who allegedly committed suicide, will give consent for his autopsy and then hold his funeral, pointing out that a senior officer accused of harassment in the case has been transferred.

Interacting with reporters here after a meeting of the Haryana cabinet on Sunday, Bedi said the policeman's family has been assured that the entire government "stands by it" and also would not allow any injustice to him.

Puran Kumar's family is yet to give consent for the autopsy until their demands are met.

"We have transferred the (Rohtak) SP (Narendra Bijarniya) at the instance of the family. He has not even been allotted any station (posting). Discussion with the family is underway," said Bedi, the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister.

He attended a cabinet meeting earlier in the day and said nine to 10 agendas were taken up.

Bedi also said the cabinet discussed preparations for the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Haryana on October 17.

PM Modi will inaugurate several development projects worth crores of rupees during his visit to Sonipat.

About the IPS officer's alleged suicide, Bedi said he and another cabinet minister, Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, Chief Principal Secretary to the CM, Rajesh Khullar, met the family, seemingly an attempt to persuade them to agree to a post-mortem cremation of the deceased officer.

The government is trying to resolve all of its issues, he said. "Amneet (P Kumar, who is the wife of deceased Y Puran Kumar and a senior Haryana bureaucrat) is a capable officer. She is the daughter of our community (referring to the Dalit community). Puran Kumar was also a capable and bold officer," he further said.

A probe into the circumstances that led to this incident is underway, he said.

"We assure the family that we will not let them (the family) face any problem," he said, expressing hope that the entire issue will be resolved soon and the family will agree on holding the last rites of the deceased officer.

Public Works (Buildings and Roads) Minister Ranbir Gangwa told reporters after the cabinet meeting here that it is unfortunate that the opposition is "doing politics in the matter.

The government has made it clear that action will be taken against whoever is found guilty, Gangwa said.

In her complaint to Chandigarh Police on Wednesday, Amneet P Kumar sought an FIR against Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya under Section 108 of the BNS (abetment to suicide) and relevant provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, demanding their immediate arrest for alleged harassment that included caste discrimination.

The Haryana government had on Saturday shunted out Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya, one of the cops against whom IPS officer Y Puran Kumar's wife was seeking action for allegedly abetting his suicide.

The Chandigarh Police's FIR was based on a 'final note' by the deceased police officer. Police have added charges under the SC/ST Act based on an appeal from the officer's wife.

In a 'final note' purportedly left behind by Y Puran Kumar (52), a 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, after he allegedly shot himself dead at his residence on Tuesday, the deceased officer named eight senior IPS officers, naming Haryana DGP Kapur and the then Rohtak SP Bijarniya for allegedly harassing and maligning him.

The deceased officer has also given accounts of alleged harassment, including caste-based discrimination, by some other officers. PTI SUN SKY SKY