Calling it “a slap on the face of society,” Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday met the family of late Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, whose death has triggered outrage across states and reignited debate over caste-based discrimination within the police establishment.

Mann visited the bereaved family at their Chandigarh residence and urged the Haryana government to book the “blue-eyed officers” named by Kumar in his suicide note instead of shielding them. He said the government “cannot disregard the law to protect its favourites.”

“The family is devastated. They are not asking for sympathy, they are demanding justice,” Mann said after meeting the officer’s wife, IAS officer Amneet Kaur, who serves with the Haryana government. “If a senior officer like Y Puran Kumar had to plead for dignity, what hope does a common man have? This is not just a tragedy, it is a mirror to our society’s bias.”

‘TARGETING OF DALIT OFFICERS IS A CONSPIRACY’

The Punjab Chief Minister alleged that the case reflected a “larger conspiracy” to harass officers from weaker sections who rise to positions of authority.

“Such educated officers are made to cry for justice. Is it so difficult to see a poor man on a big chair?” he asked, adding that the incident amounted to “an attack on the Dalit community”.

Mann also drew parallels with recent trolling of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, saying that “those who speak for fairness and equality are being targeted by design”. He accused certain groups of trying to “rewrite the Constitution envisioned by Dr BR Ambedkar”.

He said atrocities against Scheduled Castes had sharply increased, and “this case is a grim reminder of what happens when discrimination is institutionalised”.

MANN SEEKS PUNJAB GOVERNOR’S INTERVENTION

Mann said he has requested Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who also serves as the Administrator of Chandigarh, to intervene and ensure a fair investigation.

“The Governor must sit with the family and officers to ensure the guilty do not go unpunished,” he said, adding that both the Union and Haryana governments must act decisively. “No one is above the law.”

Mann reiterated that he would also personally speak to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, urging him to deliver justice to the family “without fear or favour.”

HARYANA CM VOWS IMPARTIAL PROBE AMID UPROAR

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also broke his silence, assuring that “no matter how influential the guilty person is, they will not be spared”. Speaking at a BJP meeting in Panchkula, Saini said the government was committed to a fair investigation.

Meanwhile, the Haryana government transferred Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, one of the officers named in Kumar’s note, and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by IG Pushpendra Kumar to probe the case.

Kumar’s family, however, has refused consent for the post-mortem, accusing authorities of attempting to move the officer’s body “without informing them”. They have demanded that all eight officers named in his note, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur, be arrested for abetment to suicide and atrocities under the SC/ST Act.

PUNJAB SC COMMISSION SEEKS REPORT

Adding to the growing pressure, the Punjab State Scheduled Caste Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the case and sought a detailed report from the Chandigarh DGP by October 13. Commission Chairperson Jasvir Singh Garhi said the report should include a copy of the suicide note, the wife’s complaint, and all action taken so far. He will also visit the family personally next week.

‘JUSTICE MUST NOT DEPEND ON RANK OR PRIVILEGE’

Y Puran Kumar, a 2001-batch IPS officer, allegedly shot himself at his Chandigarh residence earlier this week. His purported suicide note accused senior colleagues of sustained caste-based harassment, humiliation, and professional isolation.

The incident has sparked nationwide outrage, with opposition leaders including Randeep Singh Surjewala, Deepender Hooda, Charanjit Singh Channi, and Manish Sisodia visiting the family. BSP chief Mayawati called it “a painful incident that shames a civilised society,” demanding an impartial probe.

– Ends

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