IPS officer's 'suicide' in Chandigarh: Wife, Dalit groups, opposition call for action

Chandigarh, Oct 9 (PTI) The mystery around the alleged suicide of a senior Haryana Police officer has deepened, with a note he left behind naming senior officers and his bureaucrat wife demanding an FIR against the state police chief.

Some Dalit groups and opposition parties have also demanded action in the matter.

The note left behind by IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who allegedly shot himself dead at his Sector 11 residence here on Tuesday, names "senior officers" and details the "mental harassment" and humiliation he faced over the last few years, according to sources.

The body of Kumar (52), a 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who was recently posted as the inspector general of the Police Training Centre (PTC) in Rohtak's Sunaria, was found with a gunshot wound in a room at the basement of his Sector 11 house.

His wife, Amneet P Kumar, a senior bureaucrat in the Haryana government, sought Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's intervention on Thursday to ensure that an FIR is lodged against those named in the "suicide note".

In the evening, Saini held a meeting with top officials of his government in the wake of certain developments related to Kumar's "suicide".

The sources said the government could contemplate some action in the matter.

Accompanied by senior bureaucrats, Saini went to the official residence of Amneet Kumar at Sector 24 here in the afternoon, after returning from a three-day official visit to Japan. Amneet Kumar had also accompanied the chief minister to Japan as part of a delegation but had to return on Wednesday on hearing the news of her husband's death.

Saini was at Amneet Kumar's residence for nearly 50 minutes.

Besides the chief minister, some of his cabinet colleagues, state BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli, senior bureaucrats and several opposition leaders also visited Amneet Kumar's residence.

After the meeting chaired by Saini in the evening, representatives from various Dalit outfits met the chief minister at his residence.

They demanded that the government take action in the matter as serious allegations have been levelled in the "suicide note" left behind by the deceased officer, who was a Dalit, and a complaint given to police by his wife.

There is anger among the Dalit community, they told reporters after meeting Saini and said while the chief minister has given certain assurances, the government should take concrete action in the matter.

Earlier in the day, a memorandum was given to the chief minister by Amneet Kumar, in which she sought the immediate registration of an FIR, the suspension and arrest of the accused mentioned in the "suicide note" and a complaint that she later submitted to police, and lifelong security to the family "since powerful, high-ranking officials of Haryana are involved in the case".

"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 in the memorandum.

The deceased's wife also claimed that "despite the lapse of more than 48 hours, no action has been taken by the Chandigarh Police".

Amneet Kumar claimed in her police complaint on Wednesday that her husband's death was the result of "systematic persecution" by high-ranking officers.

She said an FIR should be filed against Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapur and another senior IPS officer under section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (abetment of suicide) and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Both officers could not be reached on the phone despite attempts.

Amneet Kumar has allegedly refused to give permission for the post-mortem of her husband's body till justice is delivered, the sources said.

Congress MP from Ambala Varun Chaudhary, who met the deceased's family members here, said they are in trauma after the incident.

"There should be an inquiry by a high court judge," he said.

In the memorandum submitted to Saini, Amneet Kumar also demanded the immediate suspension and arrest of "all accused persons to prevent interference, tampering with evidence or influence over the investigation" and sought a permanent security cover for her family members, especially her two daughters, who she said are under serious threat and mental distress.

The sources said Puran Kumar has left an eight-page typed and signed "final note", titled "Continued blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities by concerned senior officers of Haryana since August 2020 which is now unbearable".

The note alleges caste-based discrimination, public humiliation, targeted mental harassment and atrocities that the officer was subjected to, the sources said.

Opposition Congress demanded an impartial probe into the alleged suicide of Puran Kumar, with Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda saying no culprit should be spared and no innocent harmed.

Congress MP Kumari Selja said a fair, independent and high-level investigation into the incident is essential to ensure the strictest action against the guilty, while party general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said the alleged suicide of the senior IPS officer is shocking, tragic and heartbreaking.

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president Abhay Singh Chautala has also demanded a high-level independent probe into the officer's "suicide".

Physical and electronic evidence, including the weapon Puran Kumar allegedly used to shoot himself, was seized by a team from the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL), the Chandigarh Police said on Tuesday.

The sources said Puran Kumar's "final note" (suicide note) mentions a "mala-fide generation of mischievous, anonymous and pseudo-anonymous" complaints against him, floated and processed by some officers for months together to publicly humiliate and embarrass him and damage his reputation.

Puran Kumar has named a few officers who allegedly misused their official positions and authority, and compelled him to kill himself, according to the sources.

Despite complaints against the officers, they were not investigated, the note claims, the sources said. PTI SUN VSD RC