Chandigarh Police constitutes SIT in Haryana IPS officer 'suicide' case

The Chandigarh Police on Friday formed a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged suicide of senior Haryana cadre IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar, aiming for a “prompt, impartial and thorough investigation” within a fixed timeframe.

The SIT will be headed by Chandigarh inspector-general Pushpendra Kumar, with senior superintendent of police Kanwardeep Kaur, SP (city) K.M. Priyanka, DSP Charanjit Singh Virk, SDPO (south) Gurjit Kaur, and Sector 11 (West) SHO Jaiveer Rana as members, according to an official order.

Puran Kumar, who was serving as inspector-general at the Police Training Centre in Rohtak’s Sunaria, allegedly shot himself at his Chandigarh residence on Tuesday. A ‘final note’ was recovered from the scene along with a will.

“In view of the gravity and sensitivity of allegations in the case... an SIT consisting of the following members is hereby constituted with immediate effect to conduct a prompt, impartial, and thorough investigation of the case under the supervision of IGP, UT, Chandigarh,” the order stated.

It further directed that “the SIT shall investigate all aspects of FIR No. 156/2025, including evidence collection, witness examination, expert opinions, legal advice, etc., in a time-bound manner and preparation of the final report upon completion”.

The Chandigarh Police registered an FIR late on Thursday evening on charges of abetment to suicide and under certain provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The FIR was based on the ‘final note’ left by the deceased officer, who had named several senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, alleging harassment and defamation.

“An FIR under Section 108 rw 3(5) (abetment of suicide) and 3(1)(r) POA (Prevention of Atrocities) SC/ST Act has been registered against the accused mentioned in the final note,” the Chandigarh Police said in a brief statement on Thursday evening.

A day after the FIR was registered, Puran Kumar’s wife, IAS officer Amneet P. Kumar, wrote to SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, objecting to what she described as “incomplete information” in the document. She demanded that the FIR be amended “to accurately reflect the names of all accused” and that the “diluted sections of the SC/ST Act” included in it be corrected.

In the section listing the accused, the FIR currently states “as per final note” and reproduces both the note and Amneet Kumar’s complaint filed on Wednesday.

In his eight-page ‘final note,’ the late officer reportedly detailed instances of harassment and caste-based discrimination by some senior colleagues.

In her complaint to the Chandigarh Police, Amneet Kumar had specifically sought an FIR against Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (abetment of suicide), along with other relevant provisions of the SC/ST Act, and had called for their immediate arrest.

Known for his vocal stance on service matters and officers’ rights, Puran Kumar had a long career in the Haryana Police and was regarded as an outspoken officer.

Amneet Kumar, who returned from Japan on Wednesday after attending a Haryana government delegation visit, has alleged that her husband’s death resulted from “systematic persecution” by senior officers.

Police confirmed that both the “final note” and a “will” were recovered and seized from the scene during initial investigations.

With PTI inputs