Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to Amneet P. Kumar, widow of IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar whose death has brought national attention to questions about caste bias and workplace harassment within even the police.
In her letter, Sonia expressed deep sorrow and solidarity with the bereaved family.
“The news of the tragic death of your husband and senior IPS officer, Mr Y. Puran Kumar, is both shocking and deeply saddening. My heartfelt condolences to you and your entire family in this time of immense difficulty,” she wrote.
She added, “The passing of Mr 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.”
Kumar, a 52-year-old 2001-batch IPS officer, is believed to have shot himself dead at his residence in Chandigarh’s Sector 11 on Tuesday. His wife, a senior IAS officer, serves in the Haryana government.
Kumar’s death sparked outrage after the recovery of an eight-page ‘final note’ in which he reportedly accused eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, of “blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities.”
The note has been widely reported in multiple news publications.
Amneet Kumar lodged a complaint with Chandigarh police on Wednesday, seeking the registration of an FIR against both the state DGP and the Rohtak SP under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (abetment to suicide) and provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
She also demanded their immediate arrest.
Following public pressure and demands from the family, the Haryana government on Saturday transferred Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya.
While Chandigarh police have registered an FIR, Amneet has objected to what she termed as “incomplete information” in the document.
In a letter to Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, she sought amendments to “accurately reflect the names of all the accused” and to include stronger provisions under the SC/ST Act.
The family has so far refused consent for the post-mortem. Kumar’s body was shifted from the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16 to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Saturday, prompting further protests.
“They have shifted the body without asking us. Injustice is being done with us. Five days have passed since a DGP-level officer died but we have not got justice yet,” said Amit Rattan, AAP MLA from Bathinda Rural and brother-in-law of the deceased.
Chandigarh DGP Sagar Preet Hooda visited the family and urged them to allow the post-mortem.
“The autopsy will be conducted at the PGIMER for which a board has been constituted comprising a magistrate, forensic experts, and doctors,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
He added that videography and photography would be carried out during the process and clarified that the procedure would only take place after the family’s consent. “They have some grievances, which are being discussed,” Hooda said.
A six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by IG Pushpendra Kumar, has been formed to conduct a “prompt, impartial and thorough investigation.”
Hooda said inclusion of names in the FIR would depend on the findings of the ongoing investigations.
Professor Jai Narayan, spokesperson of a 31-member Committee for Justice for Y. Puran Kumar, told PTI Videos: "We formed this 31-member committee yesterday to sustain the movement across all of Haryana, with key members from various regions. The government has not conducted any meaningful investigation, and we demand that at the very least, those responsible be terminated; only then will the post-mortem be performed."
(with PTI inputs)
