The body of senior Haryana IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar has been in the mortuary of Chandigarh’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) for six days following his alleged suicide on October 7th. The situation has become a point of contention as his family has reportedly refused consent for a post-mortem examination.
According to reports, the family’s refusal stems from allegations made by Kumar in a ‘final note’ he left behind. In this note, he accused Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapur and the now-transferred Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya of harassment and caste bias. Kumar’s wife, an IAS officer herself, filed a police complaint based on this note.
The Haryana government has been actively trying to resolve the situation. State cabinet ministers Krishan Lal Panwar and Krishan Bedi visited Kumar’s wife on Saturday to persuade her to allow the post-mortem. Reports suggest that offers were made, including a DSP position for Kumar’s eldest daughter, and a temporary leave for the DGP. However, the family has reportedly stood firm on their demands for the arrest of the accused officials, rejecting the initial offers.
The First Information Report (FIR) initially registered on October 10th was amended after Kumar’s wife raised objections regarding what she termed ‘diluted sections’ and incomplete information. She requested the FIR to accurately reflect all accused individuals and to amend the sections of the SC/ST Act. Following this, Chandigarh IG Pushpendra Kumar confirmed that Section 3 of the SC/ST Act has now been invoked in the FIR.
Section 3 of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, outlines and punishes specific offences of “atrocities” committed against members of the SC/ST community.