Gurugram: The suicide of Haryana IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar on 7 October has exposed deep divisions within the state bureaucracy, with officers expressing distrust towards senior officials implicated in the case. Kumar’s wife, IAS officer Amneet P. Kumar, had lodged a complaint against Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, alleging harassment and humiliation of her husband, who belonged to the Scheduled Castes (SC).
Officers demand removal of top officials
The Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officers have openly supported Kumar’s family, urging the removal of senior officers from positions where they could influence the investigation. Several IAS and IPS officers, particularly from SC communities, voiced concerns that bureaucratic politics and alleged targeting of weaker officers contributed to the tragedy.
D. Suresh, a 1995-batch IAS officer, told Chief Minister Nayab Saini that SC and economically weaker officers have been deliberately targeted under Kapur’s leadership at the Haryana Vigilance Bureau since 2020. “The DGP knows they cannot retaliate, which allows him to project himself as a champion against corruption,” Suresh said. He also briefed Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, insisting that the arrests of Kapur and Bijarniya were necessary for justice.
Allegations of false cases and harassment
According to sources, the FIR at Rohtak that triggered Kumar’s suicide was allegedly registered to frame him falsely for corruption. Officers highlighted that standard procedure mandates a preliminary enquiry (PE) before any FIR against a senior officer, which was reportedly bypassed.
The post-mortem on Kumar was conducted after assurances from Haryana Home Secretary Sumita Misra to Amneet Kumar regarding a transparent investigation. Meanwhile, senior officers claimed that Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, meant to shield public servants from baseless inquiries, is being ignored in Haryana.
Calls for impartial and transparent investigation
The HCS Executive Branch Association, representing 258 officers, submitted a representation to the CM demanding temporary removal of accused officers from positions of authority to ensure a fair investigation. Shambhu, CEO of Zila Parishad Kurukshetra and head of the association, stressed, “We want an impartial probe so that no officer named in the FIR can influence the investigation. This is about justice, not targeting anyone.”
The demand underscores a growing sense of urgency among Haryana bureaucrats for a speedy and fair inquiry, free from the undue influence of senior officers implicated in the case.
