Faridabad : The mystery surrounding the shocking suicides of two senior Haryana police officers is getting murkier by the day amid allegations of caste discrimination, corruption, and extortion within the state police force. Allegations of police-gangster links have also emerged, throwing the Haryana Police into a credibility crisis.
The saga, which started with the suicide of senior IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who accused his seniors of harassment and caste discrimination, took a new twist this week after an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), Sandeep Lathar, allegedly shot himself and blamed the former of corruption. Amid mounting pressure, the BJP government sent Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur on leave and replaced Rohtak’s superintendent of police, Narendra Bijraniya.
With fresh details emerging each day, here is a recap of what has happened so far. To understand the sequence of events, we need to go back to September 29, eight days before Puran Kumar allegedly shot himself dead. On September 29, Puran Kumar, a 2001-batch IPS officer, was transferred from the post of IG (Rohtak range) to Sunaria Police Training College.
Puran Kumar’s security officer was detained without any FIR or warrant being shown. When Kumar objected, the police allegedly threatened him, saying, “Next, it will be your turn. Amid this, Puran Kumar made repeated calls to then Haryana DGP and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarnia, seeking intervention and protection of his and his family’s reputation. However, sources said the IPS officer’s calls went unanswered.
Finally, on October 6, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) was registered against Sushil Kumar. The FIR alleged that he tried to extort Rs 2.5 lakh from a businessman. Senior IAS sources said the FIR was filed strategically to ensure that no prior government sanction would be needed to arrest Puran Kumar, since he would be indirectly linked through his PSO.
Puran Kumar allegedly shot himself dead at his Chandigarh Sector 11 residence on October 7. An eight-page note purportedly left behind by Kumar mentioned that continuous harassment, humiliation and the “false case” against his PSO drove him to take the step. He named eight senior IPS officers for allegedly maligning his image.
On October 8, Puran Kumar’s wife, senior IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, returned from Japan and filed a police complaint. After Puran Kumar’s death, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case wrote to his wife and asked her to submit his official laptop for forensic examination to verify the authenticity of his suicide note.
The ASI claimed that Puran Kumar took his own life after realising that the investigation would expose his family members. I am sacrificing my life to demand an impartial probe. This corrupt family should not be spared, the note read. Lathar also mentioned how Puran Kumar manipulated the system through caste politics, and had removed certain officers to install his own hand-picked, corrupt team.
He is said to have connections with the Himanshu Bhau gang. His name recently surfaced in the murder case of Rohtak financier Manjeet. He was also linked to the firing incident at YouTuber Elvish Yadav’s house. Rao Inderjit’s name also came up in the attack on singer Fazilpuria. While the initial probe around Puran Kumar’s death focused on caste discrimination, ASI Sandeep Lathar’s allegations paint a picture of high-level corruption and gangster-police nexus. Is there more to the saga than it meets the eye?
Read Also : JDU Names 57 Candidates in 1st Bihar list, Atirek Kumar Replaces Aman Bhushan Hazari