Should All Accused, Including DGP, Be Arrested in Punjab's IPS Official Death Case?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The PSCC has ordered the arrest of 14 individuals in a high-profile suicide case.
- Concerns about police accountability are paramount in this investigation.
- The case highlights issues of caste-based discrimination within law enforcement.
- Puran Kumar's family is actively seeking justice.
- The absence of an FIR raises questions about the police's response.
Chandigarh, Oct 13 (NationPress) The Punjab Scheduled Castes Commission (PSCC) on Monday ordered the arrest of all 14 individuals named in the suicide note of Haryana Police ADGP Y. Puran Kumar, voicing their discontent with the report provided by Chandigarh Police regarding his tragic demise.
According to the police report, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed, and the inquiry is actively ongoing.
The PSCC Chairman, Jasvir Singh Garhi, expressed dissatisfaction with the findings and instructed Chandigarh Police to act in line with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Lalita Kumari vs. State of Uttar Pradesh.
He urged immediate action to apprehend the 14 individuals cited in the deceased officer's suicide note. Garhi noted that the report did not include a copy of the First Information Report (FIR), raising questions about whether an FIR has been filed against the officials mentioned.
The commission received no written details regarding the SIT established for the investigation. Subsequently, Chairman Garhi met with Y. Puran Kumar's family, promising to exert every effort to secure justice for them.
Inspector General Puran Kumar reportedly took his own life at his Chandigarh home on October 7, using his service revolver and leaving behind a “final note.” Even seven days post-incident, the police officer has yet to be cremated.
A deadlock persists between Puran Kumar's wife, IAS officer Amneet P. Kumar, and the Haryana government concerning the arrests of DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur and Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya.
Amneet, a senior bureaucrat in the Haryana cadre, sent a letter to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, seeking justice for her husband.
This urgent, confidential letter highlighted her distress over what she termed a “grave injustice” and “total administrative inaction” following her husband’s death, which she expressed three days ago.
In a nine-page “suicide note,” Puran Kumar accused nine current IPS officers from the Haryana Police, along with a retired IPS officer and three retired IAS officers, of “caste-based discrimination.” Among those named were DGP Kapur and Superintendent of Police Bijarniya.