Haryana officer suicide: What has happened so far in the Y Puran Kumar case

Alleged systemic discrimination

According to Y Puran Kumar’s “final note”, the alleged harassment dates back to August 2020, following a routine visit in his capacity as the then Inspector General of Police to a temple within the Shahzadpur police station limits on a public holiday. He received a formal letter questioning the legitimacy of his visit from the then Director General of Police, whom he has named in the note.

Kumar subsequently filed a formal complaint under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, alleging bias and humiliation, but claimed that no satisfactory action was taken. In his letter, he recalled that this allegedly marked the beginning of targeted scrutiny based on his Scheduled Caste identity.

In 2022, as IGP of Sirsa Range, Kumar initiated action over the alleged unauthorised construction of a temple in Police Lines, Sirsa, triggering backlash and an internal inquiry against him.

Kumar alleged that he was frequently transferred to roles he viewed as punitive. He repeatedly complained that he was overlooked for promotions, had his performance appraisals manipulated, and claimed he was denied official accommodation as well as a service vehicle, even as junior officers received better treatment.

In multiple letters to the Chief Secretary and Home Department, Kumar alleged that his identity was being used to undermine his service and dignity, despite a clean record. In 2023, he filed five complaints against senior IAS/ IPS officers, accusing them of harassment. When an inquiry committee was formed, he allegedly refused to cooperate, claiming the members were biased against him.

In early 2024, he was asked to lead the Dial 112 Emergency Response Team as the Inspector General of the Telecommunications department, a role he reportedly saw as another professional slight. He returned his official car to the state police department in April, requesting a car to be assigned as per his entitlement. He then complained against the “discriminatory and selective” allotment of official vehicles to IPS officers in Haryana, and wrote to the state’s then chief secretary, T V S N Prasad, urging him to look into the matter.

In September 2025, he was abruptly transferred to the Police Training College in Rohtak, widely viewed as a demotion.

On October 6, Sushil Kumar, a head constable who had allegedly identified himself as Puran Kumar’s Personal Security Officer, was arrested on an extortion charge. According to the FIR, he had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh from a liquor contractor between June and July. Kumar, while mentioned in the complaint, was not named as an accused in the FIR.

Sushil Kumar was arrested the same day and remanded in judicial custody, with his statements recorded in the court of the judicial magistrate. Y Puran Kumar was made aware of the action subsequently and claimed he did not receive a satisfactory response from DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor. Then SP (Rohtak) Narinder Bijarniya allegedly did not answer Kumar’s phone call.

His wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, later alleged the latest case was a deliberate attempt to further tarnish his reputation and isolate him.

What has happened now

The 2001 batch IPS officer was found dead of a gunshot wound at his Sector 11 residence in Chandigarh. The police recovered a nine-page “final note” detailing years of alleged caste-based discrimination, harassment, and character assassination targeted at him.

In the note, Puran Kumar named nine serving and one retired IPS officers and three retired IAS officers, including DGP Kapoor and SP Bijarniya. He wrote that their actions had led him to take the extreme step.

His wife, IAS officer Amneet Kumar, was in Japan at the time as part of the Haryana government’s delegation led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. She returned on October 8 and lodged a formal complaint with Chandigarh Police seeking action against all those named in her husband’s “final note”.

She has specifically sought the immediate arrest of Kapoor and Bijarniya. Chandigarh Police registered an FIR under Section 108 IPC (abetment to suicide) and under provisions of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

After denying her consent to a post-mortem examination for over a week, she agreed to the same on Wednesday. A board of doctors at PGIMER, Chandigarh, conducted the exam in a videographed process attended by a Magistrate and ballistic experts. Subsequently, Puran Kumar’s last rites were performed the same evening.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes had taken suo motu notice of the news report published in The Indian Express on October 9 and issued a show-cause notice seeking a detailed report from the Haryana government. State-wide protests have also broken out over the past week, mounting pressure on the government.

Bijarniya was transferred out of Rohtak on October 11, while DGP Kapoor was sent on leave two days later.

Political reactions

Leaders across the political spectrum have visited the family to pay their respects to the deceased cop and assured Amneet P Kumar of their support for her. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Telangana’s Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Union Ministers Chirag Paswan and Ramdas Athawale are some of the leaders who have visited.

Addressing the Prime Minister and the Haryana Chief Minister directly, Rahul Gandhi urged them to act decisively. “My message as Leader of Opposition to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister is simple – fulfil the commitment you made to these two daughters [Y Puran Kumar’s daughters]. Allow their father’s final rites to take place peacefully. Take immediate action against those responsible and release this family from pressure,” Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan also extended his support to Kumar’s family on behalf of the Centre. “Irrespective of the positions that those responsible might be holding, stern action shall be taken against all those found guilty,” he said. “A message shall be given from here that in the future, nobody shall be able to misuse his official position to harass anybody. This is my family. Amneet ji is my sister. Not only this family, but I shall also fight for justice with them.”