Congress MP Varun Chaudhry on Friday met Punjab Governor-cum-Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, demanding a judicial probe under the chairmanship of a sitting high court judge into the alleged suicide of senior Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar.
Ambala MP Varun Chaudhry, along with Punjab MLA Amit Rattan, met Kataria in Ludhiana, expressing shock over the alleged caste-based discrimination faced by the IPS officer from senior police officials.
Rattan, an AAP MLA representing the Bathinda Rural constituency, is the younger brother of Amneet P Kumar, the wife of the late officer.
In a memorandum submitted to Kataria, the Congress leader highlighted the ‘final note’ left by the IPS officer, who reportedly took his own life at his Chandigarh residence on Tuesday.
As per sources, the note mentions “senior officers” and describes the mental harassment and humiliation he endured over the years, including instances of caste-based discrimination.
Seeking a judicial probe under a sitting HC judge, Chaudhry wrote: “The whole nation is in shock to know about the suicide by an IPS officer and more shocking is the reason for the extreme step: caste-based discrimination done by the top-most officials of the state of Haryana.”
He added, “The dream of an atrocity-free India envisioned by Baba Saheb Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar ji is still unfulfilled as exposed by this extreme step taken due to the atrocities faced by Shri Y Puran Kumar, IPS.”
He also requested that “suitable action be taken against the erring officers” and asked for security for the family of Puran Kumar.
Later, Chaudhry said, “We brought to his notice various things pertaining to the incident. We also stated how incomplete information has been given in the FIR, which has been registered in the matter, as it does not accurately reflect the names of the accused.”
The Congress leader said the family believes that the deceased officer specifically referred to Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, and that action should be taken against them immediately as per the law.
After meeting Kataria, Chaudhry and Rattan went to the residence of Amneet Kumar, a senior IAS officer, in Chandigarh’s Sector 24.
Chandigarh Police, late Thursday, filed an FIR under charges of abetment to suicide and provisions of the SC/ST Act, based on the officer’s final note, which named several senior IPS officers, including DGP Kapur and SP Bijarniya, for alleged harassment and maligning.
A day after the FIR was registered, Amneet Kumar wrote to the police questioning “incomplete information” in the report and asked for it to be amended to accurately reflect the names of all accused.
In her letter to Chandigarh Police SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, Amneet also sought that “diluted sections of the SC/ST Act” added in the FIR be corrected.
Chaudhry said, “In his 'final note', Y Puran Kumar has also mentioned the role of some other officers during his career. The family has demanded that DGP
Kapur and SP Bijarniya be relieved from their duties as they are in powerful positions and could influence the probe by the Chandigarh Police.”
“So long as these officers are holding the charge, a free and fair inquiry cannot be expected,” he added.
MLA Amit Rattan said, “We could never imagine that such a thing could happen. Y Puran ji was a brave person, but such circumstances were created...even after he is no more, we are forced to move here and there to have a proper FIR in the matter.”
“Such is the state of things...And it is almost eight decades after India became free, still, there is exploitation and harassment on the basis of one's caste,” he said.
Rattan added, “In his final note, which is his dying declaration, he has given an account of how he was harassed based on caste.”
The AAP MLA called Puran Kumar “the pride of the entire Dalit community. There is no one like him in society. People, especially in the Dalit community, are very angry about this.”
On Amneet’s objection to the FIR content, Rattan said, “What is the meaning of this FIR when no one is mentioned in the accused column?”
Also Read: Case against 2 top Haryana cops on complaint by officer's widow
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