Who was Y Puran Kumar? Controversy erupts over Haryana IPS officer's ‘suicide’ — what we know so far

Haryana Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Y Puran Kumar reportedly died by suicide at his Chandigarh residence on 7 October. He allegedly shot himself at his residence and left a ‘final note’ behind.

In the purported eight-page note, the senior officer accused eight high-ranking police officials, including Haryana Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur, of “blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities”, news agency ANI reported.

As Puran Kumar's death triggered a controversy, DGP Shatrujeet Kapur was placed on an extended leave and IPS Om Parkash Singh was assigned the additional charge of Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana.

Former Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya is also an accused in the case. The state government has already transferred Birjaniya to Rohtak as Superintendent of Police.

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

Who was Y Puran Kumar?

Puran Kumar, 52, was an IPS officer from the 2001 batch. According to the PTI, he was recently posted as Inspector General of Police at the Police Training Centre (PTC), Sunaria, in Haryana’s Rohtak.

Kumar was known for his interventions in matters related to the rights of officers and seniority, and other issues.

Puran Kumar's wife is the commissioner and secretary of the Department of Foreign Cooperation, Haryana government. She was in Japan as part of a delegation led by the chief minister when Kumar was found dead on 7 October.

Why is there controversy over Puran Kumar's death

1. Caste-discrimination angle

Puran Kumar, in his eight-page “final note”, reportedly gave accounts of alleged harassment, including caste-based discrimination, by some officers.

He specifically named eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Kapur and former Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya, for allegedly harassing and maligning his image.

The authenticity of the letter is being investigated by the police.

Puran Kumar's wife, Amneet P Kumar, wrote to Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur, demanding that Kapur and Bijarniya be named in the FIR. She accused them of abetting Kumar's suicide.

In her complaint to Chandigarh Police on Wednesday, she had sought an FIR against the duo under Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, demanding their immediate arrest.

“As per my complaint, the names of the accused (1) Shatrujeet Kapur and (2) Narendra Bijarniya have not been entered in the FIR, which was the trigger point for his [Puran Kumar's] suicide,” Amneet said in her plea.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “The suicide of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar Ji is a tragedy that shakes the conscience of our society and system.”

“The wrong message is going to crores of Dalits brothers and sisters in the country... that no matter how successful, intelligent or capable you may be, if you are a Dalit, you can be suppressed, crushed and thrown away...,” Gandhi said after meeting the family of Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar.

Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that Puran Kumar “died by suicide due to harassment and caste-based discrimination”.

2. Bribery case

Puran Kumar's name recently cropped up in a bribery scandal. According to PTI, Kumar had allegedly faced harassment in connection with a bribery case involving a local head constable.

The Rohtak police had registered a case based on a complaint by a local liquor contractor that the constable had demanded a bribe of ₹2.5 lakh in Puran Kumar's name (when he was posted there). Sushil Kumar was arrested recently and is in judicial custody.

Rahul Gandhi also mentioned a “false case being lodged”, apparently against a liquor contractor in Rohtak, who filed a bribery case against a police constable.

3. Haryana ASI names Puran Kumar in new twist

Days after Puran Kumar's death, a Haryana Police assistant sub-inspector, Sandeep Kumar, allegedly shot himself dead on Tuesday in the Rohtak district, leaving behind a six-minute purported video and a three-page suicide note.

According to PTI, Sandeep Kumar levelled serious allegations against Puran Kumar in the purported video, saying even Bhagat Singh made sacrifices and walked a difficult path after which the country awakened.

“And today, this country will awaken when we sacrifice ourselves on the path of truth,” he is heard as saying while claiming that “honest officer” Narendra Bijarniya had confronted Puran Kumar.

The veracity of the video and the statement could not be immediately verified.

Puran Kumar's suicide: What's the latest in the case?

The Chandigarh Police issued a notice to IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, the widow of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, seeking the laptop belonging to her deceased husband.

According to police, the laptop is considered a crucial piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation into the IPS officer's death.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case believes that the device may hold vital information, including the original draft of the alleged suicide note found on it.

Police sources revealed that the laptop is intended to be sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for digital examination to verify the authenticity of the suicide note.

Investigators aim to confirm whether the note was indeed written by IPS Puran Kumar himself and created on his own laptop. The SIT also aims to determine how many people received the note, the exact time it was sent, and when each recipient accessed the email.

As of now, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar has not yet handed over her late husband's laptop to the investigating team.