CHANDIGARH: The body of deceased Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who died by suicide on Tuesday, has been shifted to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) for postmortem autopsy by the Chandigarh Police.
The family of the officer accused the police of shifting the body without consulting them and said they had not given consent for the autopsy. The medical board hasn't conducted the autopsy yet.
The body was kept at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16.
Amit Rattan, AAP MLA from Bathinda (Rural) and brother-in-law of the deceased officer, said, "The Chandigarh Police have shifted the body without asking us. Five days have passed since a senior IPS officer died, but we have not got justice yet.’’
DGP of Chandigarh Police, Sagar Preet Hooda, today visited the residence of Amneet P Kumar and, after meeting the family, he said that the police have requested the family to get the post-mortem done as early as possible.
"The post-mortem will be conducted only after the family gives its consent.’’
Asked why the family members have not given their consent till now, Hooda said they have some grievances, which are being discussed.
When questioned why the police have not added the names of the alleged suspects to the FIR lodged in the case, he said an investigation is underway. "A special investigation team headed by an IG-rank officer has been formed for the probe,’’ said Hooda.
He further said, "The autopsy will be conducted at the PGIMER for which a board has been constituted comprising a magistrate, forensic experts, and doctors. Also, Videography and photography will be done.’’
Hooda, however, said the post-mortem will be conducted only after the family gives its consent.
After the registration of the FIR, Kumar's wife, Amneet, on Friday, had claimed it contained 'incomplete information', and sought its amendment to "accurately reflect the names of all the accused.’’
In the column meant for naming the accused, the FIR mentions as per the 'final note'.
In a letter to Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, Amneet also sought an amendment of the "diluted sections of the SC/ST Act" which have been added to the FIR.
In his eight-page 'final note', Kumar named eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, for allegedly harassing and maligning him.
Kumar, a 2001-batch Indian Police Service officer, allegedly shot himself dead at his Sector 11 residence here on Tuesday.
He had left behind a 'final note' accusing eight senior police officers of blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation, and atrocities.
Chandigarh Police on Friday constituted the six-member SIT headed by IG Pushpendra Kumar for a prompt, impartial, and thorough investigation into the officer's death in a time-bound manner.
Kumar was recently posted as Inspector General of the Police Training Centre in Rohtak's Sunaria.
Four days after Kumar died, the Haryana Government took its first action in the case by transferring Superintendent of Police of Rohtak Narendra Bijarniya on Saturday and appointed Surinder Singh Bhoria in his place.
The order issued today said that Bijarniya's posting orders would be issued separately.
Bijarniya, a 2015-batch IPS officer, was among the police officials named in the “final note” recovered from Kumar’s pocket.
Meanwhile, Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to senior IAS officer Amneet, the wife of deceased IPS officer Kumar.
Sonia expressed deep sorrow and solidarity with the bereaved family. "The news of the tragic death of your husband and senior IPS officer, Mr Y. Puran Kumar, is both shocking and deeply saddening. My heartfelt condolences to you and your entire family in this time of immense difficulty,” she wrote.
She added, "The passing of Y. Puran Kumar is a reminder to us that even today, the prejudiced and biased attitude of those in power deprives even the most senior officials of social justice. I and Millions of people in the country stand with you on this path to justice.”
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi have also condemned Kumar’s suicide and the circumstances that drove him to take the drastic step.
While two Congress MPs, Deepinder Hooda Member of Parliament from Rohtak in Haryana, Randeep Singh Surjewala Rajaya Sabha Member of Parliament and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi Member of Parliament from Jalandhar in Punjab, today met the family members of the deceased officer and assured full support to them.
Haryana Transport Minister, Anil Vij met the family. The death of Kumar has brought national attention to questions about caste bias and workplace harassment.
