Cong MP, Punjab AAP MLA meet Kataria, seek judicial inquiry into IPS officer’s death

Ambala MP Varun Chaudhry, who was accompanied by Punjab MLA Amit Rattan, met UT administrator in Ludhiana and expressed shock at the alleged caste discrimination faced by Puran Kumar at the hands of senior Haryana cops.

Congress MP Varun Chaudhry on Friday met Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, seeking a judicial inquiry under the chairmanship of a sitting high court judge into the alleged suicide of senior Haryana police officer Y Puran Kumar.

IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who allegedly shot himself dead at his Sector 11 residence in Chandigarh on Tuesday, left behind a ‘final note’ naming Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and 10 other officers, accusing them of harassment and caste bias. (File photo)

Ambala MP Chaudhry, who was accompanied by Punjab MLA Amit Rattan, met Kataria in Ludhiana and expressed shock at the alleged caste discrimination faced by Puran Kumar at the hands of senior cops.

Rattan is the AAP MLA from Bathinda Rural assembly seat and is the younger brother of Amneet P Kumar, the wife of the deceased IPS officer.

In a memorandum submitted to Kataria, the Congress leader referred to the “final note” left behind by the IPS officer, who allegedly shot himself dead at his Sector 11 residence in Chandigarh on Tuesday.

The note names “senior officers” and details alleged “mental harassment” and humiliation, which included caste discrimination, he faced over the last few years, according to sources.

Reflects shocking caste bias: Chaudhary

The Congress leader said that Puran Kumar’s family believes that the deceased officer has specifically referred to Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya and immediate action should be taken against them.

After meeting Kataria in Ludhiana, Chaudhry and Rattan reached the official residence of Amneet Kumar, who is also a senior Haryana IAS officer, in Sector 24, Chandigarh.

On Thursday evening, Chandigarh Police registered an FIR with charges of abetment to suicide and provisions of the SC/ST Act based on the “final note” by Puran Kumar, who named senior IPS officers, and specifically referred to the Haryana DGP and Rohtak SP for allegedly harassing and maligning him.

A day after the FIR was registered, his wife wrote to the police questioning “incomplete information” in the police report, and asked for it to be amended “to accurately reflect the names of all accused”.

In a letter to Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, Amneet sought that “diluted sections of the SC/ST Act” that have been added in the FIR should be amended.

Chaudhry said, “In his ‘final note’, Y Puran Kumar has also mentioned the role of some other officers during his career.” He said the family has demanded that both DGP Kapur and SP Bijarniya be relieved from their duties as they are in powerful positions and can influence the probe by Chandigarh Police.

“So long as these officers are holding the charge, a free and fair inquiry cannot be expected,” he said.

Still struggling to get proper FIR registered: AAP MLA

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 struggling to get a proper FIR registered.”

“Such is the state of affairs. It is almost eight decades since India became free, still, there is exploitation and harassment on the basis of one’s caste. In his final note, which is his dying declaration, he has given an account of how he was harassed based on caste,” Rattan said.

The AAP MLA said Puran Kumar was the “pride of the entire Dalit community. We cannot find another person like him. There is so much anger among the people, especially the Dalit community.”

On Amneet’s objections to the FIR, Rattan said, “What is the meaning of this FIR where no one has been mentioned in the accused column?”