The wife of late IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar, IAS officer Amneet P. Kumar, has given her consent for the postmortem of her husband’s body, breaking days of silence amid a storm that has unsettled Haryana’s political, police and administrative circles. In a formal statement issued on Wednesday, Amneet said she had agreed to the postmortem “in view of the assurance extended by the UT Police for conducting a fair, transparent and impartial investigation, and the commitment conveyed by the Government of Haryana to take appropriate action against any erring officials.”
She added that the procedure should take place under the supervision of a magistrate, with a ballistic expert present and the entire process videographed.
Her decision comes over a week after Y. Puran Kumar, a 2012-batch IPS officer, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. The incident triggered massive outrage after a lengthy note, purportedly written by him, surfaced naming 15 senior police officers (serving and retired) — including then DGP Shatrujeet Kapur — for harassment, humiliation and caste bias. The note ignited protests, with Dalit organisations and civil rights groups accusing the state of institutional discrimination and demanding the arrest of those named.
The controversy has since snowballed into a full-blown political crisis. On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi visited the Kumar residence in Chandigarh, meeting Amneet Kumar and the family in what party leaders described as a gesture of solidarity. After the meeting, Gandhi told reporters that Y. Puran Kumar’s death “was not just an individual tragedy but a mirror to the injustice and inequality deeply rooted in our institutions.” His visit drew sharp political reactions and fresh momentum to the growing protest movement, which has seen candle marches, silent demonstrations and calls for a high-level judicial probe.
On Tuesday, the Haryana government announced that Om Prakash Singh, a 1992-batch IPS officer, had been given additional charge as the state’s Director General of Police, replacing Shatrujeet Kapur who has been sent on leave. Though the government described the change as an administrative move, the timing left little doubt that it was linked to the escalating fallout from the case. Singh, known for his clean record and calm leadership style, held a meeting with senior officers soon after taking charge and is learnt to have directed them to maintain discipline, avoid interference and allow evidence to lead the investigation.
Even as the state administration scrambled to contain the crisis, another tragedy struck. In Rohtak, an Assistant Sub-Inspector named Sandeep Kumar allegedly took his own life, leaving behind a video message accusing the late IPS officer of corruption and misuse of authority. The ASI’s family has refused to perform his last rites, demanding justice, a development that has deepened the already tense situation. Police officials are now grappling with two parallel deaths, both tangled in allegations, counter-allegations and political overtones.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team formed to probe the death of Y. Puran Kumar has intensified its work. Investigators are examining his laptop, phone records and digital evidence to verify the authenticity of his note and reconstruct the events leading to his death. Legal experts say the widow’s consent to the postmortem is a crucial step that will allow forensic teams to establish key medical facts and possibly bring clarity to the sequence of events.
In her statement, Amneet P. Kumar expressed full faith in the rule of law and pledged cooperation with investigators. She appealed to the media to refrain from sensationalism and respect the dignity of her family during what she described as an extremely painful time.