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Reflects bias of those in power: Sonia Gandhi on Haryana IPS officer’s death
Congress leaders make beeline to meet Y Puran Kumar’s family, express solidarity with family in its fight for justice.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has written to the wife of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who allegedly committed suicide, and said his death is a reminder that the “prejudiced and biased” attitude of those in power deprives even the most senior officials of social justice.
In her letter to bureaucrat Amneet P Kumar, the wife of Puran Kumar, the Congress parliamentary party chairperson said she and millions of people of the country stand with her on her path to justice.
Kumar, 52, a 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, allegedly shot himself dead at his residence in Chandigarh Sector 11 on Tuesday.
His wife, a senior IAS officer, is commissioner and secretary, Haryana government. “The news of the tragic death of your husband and senior IPS officer, Y Puran Kumar, is both shocking and deeply saddening. My heartfelt condolences to you and your entire family in this time of immense difficulty,” Sonia Gandhi wrote in her letter on Friday.
“The passing of Y Puran Kumar is a reminder to us that even today, the prejudiced and biased attitude of those in power deprives even the most senior officials of social justice. I and millions of people of the country stand with you on this path to justice,” she said, adding “May God grant you patience, courage, and strength in this difficult situation.”
Chandigarh Police on Friday constituted a six-member special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the alleged suicide. However, Kumar’s family is yet to give a nod for conducting the post-mortem, with his wife questioning “incomplete information” in the FIR.
Kumar was recently posted as the inspector general of the Police Training Centre (PTC) in Rohtak’s Sunaria. He left behind an alleged suicide note naming senior officers and detailing the “mental harassment” and humiliation he faced over the last few years. In his nine-page ‘final note’, Kumar named eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, for allegedly harassing and maligning him. The Haryana government transferred Bijarniya on Saturday.
Shocking caste discrimination in police: Surjewala
Rajya Sabha Congress member Randeep Singh Surjewala called the death a “shocking reflection of systemic and caste-based discrimination” within the state’s governance and police setup.
Surjewala, who visited the family to offer condolences, said that the “forced suicide” of such a senior officer has shaken the conscience of the nation. “If a senior police officer cannot get justice in Haryana, then who will?” he asked.
Surjewala also condemned the alleged mishandling of the officer’s body. “Without the family’s consent, his body was taken from Sector 16 hospital to PGI. Even his daughters were denied the right to see their father’s mortal remains. This is not just insensitivity, it’s a crime,” he said, demanding accountability from the Haryana government.
The Congress leader raised a series of pointed questions: “Why was the officer not allowed to enter a temple? Why was he denied leave to attend his father’s funeral? Why did the system fail to act despite his repeated complaints of caste-based discrimination?”
Will fight till justice delivered: Deepender
Party leader Deepender Hooda sought an impartial probe into the matter. “Y Puran Kumar was counted as among the country’s finest IPS officers. If a decorated officer is forced to take the extreme step, you can imagine what must have been going on,” he said.
The country wants justice for the deceased’s family and that is possible only when an impartial probe is conducted and the accused are punished, Hooda said. “We stand with the deceased officer’s family in its hour of grief and we will fight till justice is delivered,” the Congress leader said.
The issue is not of an officer who comes from Haryana. The issue is not of Haryana or Punjab nor of a particular community, Hooda said, asserting that it is an issue concerning the entire country.
Channi calls for justice for family
Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi attacked the ruling BJP over the death of the Haryana officer and said justice must be given to his family.
“He (Kumar) used to fight for the rights of Dalits and even gave up his life. Five days have passed, but his family is not getting justice,” the former Punjab chief minister said.
He alleged that senior government officials are regularly visiting Kumar’s Sector 24 home, trying to build pressure on the family.
“What is the family demanding? It is demanding that those who forced him to commit suicide should be arrested and punished. We are with the family and will fight till it gets justice,” Channi said.
Meanwhile, some representatives of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community told reporters that a 31-member panel has been formed to ensure that the demands and concerns raised by Kumar’s family are addressed by authorities.
