In a significant development, the Haryana police have revised the FIR concerning the alleged suicide of IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar, incorporating stricter sections of the SC/ST Act. This action was taken after the officer’s wife, senior IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, petitioned the authorities, pointing out that the initially included sections of the Act were too lenient and that Section 3 was more appropriate for the case.
Chandigarh IG Pushpendra Kumar, who leads the Special Investigation Team probing the incident, confirmed the invocation of Section 3 of the SC/ST Act. Meanwhile, the family of Y. Puran Kumar has not yet given their consent for the post-mortem examination, awaiting the fulfillment of their demands.
In a related development, the Haryana government transferred Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya on Saturday. Bijarniya was among the officers named by Amneet P Kumar in her complaint alleging abetment of her husband’s suicide. IPS officer Surinder Singh Bhoria has been appointed as the new Rohtak SP.
Amneet P Kumar’s letter to SSP Kanwardeep Kaur had specifically named Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya as accused. The initial FIR, filed based on a note left by the deceased officer, included charges under Section 108 read with Sections 3 and 3 POA of the SC/ST Act. Amneet’s complaint had called for the immediate arrest of Kapur and Bijarniya.
The SC/ST Act provisions mentioned relate to intentional insult or intimidation with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe in public view. The newly added Section 3 addresses offenses under the Indian Penal Code against SC/ST individuals that are punishable with ten years or more imprisonment, mandating life imprisonment and a fine.
Government officials, including Haryana ministers and the Chief Secretary, met with the Kumar family on Saturday, reportedly to persuade them to consent to the post-mortem and cremation. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini assured that action would be taken against the guilty, regardless of their position, and urged against politicizing the matter.
The controversy has drawn attention from various officials and politicians who have met with Amneet P Kumar. A committee, the Shaheed Y Puran Singh Nyaya Sangharsh Morcha, has been formed to advocate for the family’s concerns and has announced a ‘mahapanchayat’ in Chandigarh.
Y. Puran Kumar, an IPS officer from the 2001 batch, allegedly took his own life on Tuesday. In a purported ‘final note’, he named eight senior IPS officers, including DGP Kapur and the then Rohtak SP Bijarniya, accusing them of harassment and maligning his reputation, citing instances of caste-based discrimination.
Amneet P Kumar has described her husband’s death as a result of “systematic persecution.” A six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed by the Chandigarh Police on Friday to conduct a prompt and impartial investigation into the officer’s death.