Haryana IPS Officer's Suicide Exposes Inequalities During BJP's Regime: Telangana Deputy CM Consoles Family

Chandigarh: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday visited the family members of senior Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who allegedly died by suicide, in Chandigarh and asked Haryana government to take immediate action against those responsible.

He said that the officer ended his life after facing caste-based discrimination, humiliation and mental harassment from senior officials, including the Haryana DGP. Such incident exposes deep inequalities that persist in our institutions during BJP regime, he alleged saying, "It is shocking that even after 78 years of Independence, Dalit and maginalised officers continue to face caste bias within the top echelons of the administrative system".

Kumar, the 2001-batch IPS officer, had shot himself dead at his Sector 11 Chandigarh residence on October 7. An FIR was filed on Thursday with charges of abetment to suicide and provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Kumar's eight-page note named IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, and alleged of harassment, including caste-based discrimination.

After arriving in Chandigarh, Vikramarka offered his condolences to Kumar's wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, who serves in Haryana and other family members. He also connected the family members with CM Revanth Reddy over phone.

"The incident is sad and unfortunate. We have come to Chandigarh from Telangana to meet the family. Kumar's suicide note is a dying declaration but the Haryana government is not acting according to the law. His daughters have not been able to see their father's body till now. This is extremely inhumane. Even a 100-year-old man on his deathbed tells the doctor that he wants to live. So, under what circumstances an officer like Kumar would have taken his own life can be understood," he told media persons after meeting the bereaved family.

The Central and state governments should take immediate action and provide security to the family, he added.

"Kumar was a native of Telangana and studied engineering at Osmania University. He then studied in IIM and came to Haryana to serve as an IPS officer. He served in the prestigious RAW and was awarded the President's Medal for his outstanding service. When a person of such stature takes to end his life then it is alarming for the country. What is happening in India? Before dying, the person gives his last statement, naming the DGP and SP. The police should have immediately suspended and arrested the officers but the BJP-led Haryana government did not do so," Vikramarka said.

Vikramarka said Congress will not remain silent over such injustices. "We demand action against the culprits. This is not Congress's issue but everyone has the right to live. This is a violation of civil and human rights. Congress will not remain silent. We demand the arrest of the IPS officers named in Kumar's note. His elderly mother, wife and two daughters should be provided security," he added.

Vikramarka alleged that Haryana DGP is known for being an anti-Dalit and anti-weaker section officer. "Despite such a track record, Shatrujeet Kapur was deliberately made the DGP to torture Dalits. An innocent IPS officer paid the price with his life."

Meanwhile, the controversy over Kumar's postmortem is still ongoing. On Saturday afternoon, doctors, forensic experts, and a videography team arrived at the Chandigarh PGI mortuary but family members had not arrived there nor agreed to the autopsy. Thus, the postmortem was not conducted even today.

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