Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday expressed concerns over caste-based discrimination in government institutions after meeting the family members of the deceased IPS officer Y Puran Kumar in Chandigarh.
“This tragic incident highlights the existing social evils, showing how even in the 21st century, people are persecuted based on caste, creed, and religion... Today, I have come to meet the family not as Chirag Paswan, but as a member of their family. I bring the assurance of our government and assure them that every demand of the family will be fulfilled, and action will be taken swiftly and without delay,” the LJP leader and Union minister for food processing told the media. “If this family does not get justice, no Dalit family will think about joining the mainstream. I assure you that this family will get justice. No matter how high a position a person holds, action will be taken against them.”
The comments of Chirag, an ally of the ruling BJP, echoed those made by the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi who had met the family earlier on Tuesday.
Kumar, a 2001-batch officer of ADGP rank, allegedly shot himself dead on October 7 at his Chandigarh residence. He was 52.
In an eight-page note attributed to him, Kumar accused eight senior officers—including DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and SP Narendra Bijarniya of “blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities.”
Rahul Gandhi also linked Kumar’s death to broader caste-based discrimination.
“It is a Dalit couple and one thing is clear that there was systematic discrimination for years to demoralise this officer and to damage his career and his reputation by other officers. This is not just a matter of one family. There are crores of Dalit brothers and sisters in the country, and they are getting the wrong message,” he said.
“The message that no matter how successful, intelligent, or capable you are, if you are a Dalit, you can be suppressed and thrown out. This is not acceptable for us,” Gandhi added.
In response to mounting political pressure, the Haryana government has now sent state DGP Shatrujeet Kapur on leave on Tuesday.
This followed the recent transfer of former Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, both of whom were named in Kumar’s note.
