Haryana government considers DGP replacement amid controversy over dalit IPS officer's death

CHANDIGARH: The Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana is exploring the possibility of replacing Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapur and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Rohtak Narendra Bijarnia by sending them on long leave, while appointing an officiating DGP amid mounting pressure on the state administration to act on the explosive allegations made by senior IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar in his nine-page suicide note . The case has snowballed into a major political and administrative issue. Meanwhile, Kumars wife, senior IAS officer Amneet, has written to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Chandigarh demanding amendments in the First Information Report (FIR) registered yesterday. Sources said Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini held a meeting with top officials of his government following the developments surrounding the death by suicide of IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar. State Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi and several senior officials were present at the meeting held at the Chief Ministers official residence in Chandigarh. The government is reportedly considering sending DGP Shatrujeet Kapur on leave and appointing an officiating DGP in his place. Sources further indicated that if Kapur is indeed sent on leave, the names of two senior officers are being considered as frontrunners for the post, 1990 batch IPS officer O.P. Singh, currently posted as Director General, State Narcotics Control Bureau, and 1993 batch IPS officer Alok Mittal, presently Additional DGP, State Anti-Corruption Bureau. Sources also claimed that Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarnia is likely to be transferred as part of a wider reshuffle. Meanwhile, the Haryana Civil Services (Executive Branch) Officers Association has extended full solidarity and moral support to senior IAS officer Amneet, wife of the deceased IPS officer. In a representation to Chief Minister Saini, the association demanded that the matter be treated with utmost seriousness, sensitivity and impartiality, ensuring that a fair and time-bound investigation is conducted in accordance with the new criminal laws. In the interest of justice, the association also suggests that it is absolutely necessary to temporarily remove accused officers from positions of power to alleviate apprehension of undue influence over junior-ranking investigating officers, it stated. Dalit IPS officer's death: Chandigarh Police registers FIR against those named in final note Kumar had reportedly blamed DGP Shatrujeet Kapur for harassment, which allegedly forced him to take the extreme step, as mentioned in his suicide note. Accompanied by several senior bureaucrats, Chief Minister Saini visited the official residence of Amneet Kumar and paid his condolences. She had sought the Chief Ministers intervention to ensure the registration of an FIR against those named in the suicide note. Late at night, the Chandigarh Police registered the FIR. A day after the FIR was lodged in connection with the death by suicide of Kumar, his wife Amneet wrote to the SSP of Chandigarh demanding that amendments be made to the FIR. In her letter dated October 10, Amneet pointed out that the names of the alleged accused DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and SP Narendra Bijarnia had not been clearly mentioned in the FIR, even though they were central to her complaint. Demanding that the FIR be amended to accurately reflect the names of all accused individuals, she wrote, As per the prescribed FIR format, all accused should be clearly listed under Column No. 7. Amneet further alleged that the sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act mentioned in the FIR were diluted and not in accordance with the gravity of the offence. She demanded that the relevant and stringent provision, Section 3(2)(v), be added to ensure that correct legal provisions are applied. She also raised concerns over the non-receipt of the Final Note dated October 7, which was recovered from the pocket of her husband and another copy from his archive. She stated that she had not received certified copies of either note, preventing her from verifying the version referenced in the FIR. Seeking the SSPs intervention, she requested immediate correction and amendment of the FIR and the supply of certified copies of the Final Notes for record and verification. She stated that the copy of FIR No. 156, dated October 9, which was handed over to her at her Sector 24-A residence at 10:22 p.m. by SSP UT Chandigarh Kanwardeep Kaur, was incomplete and unsigned and failed to name the key accused persons mentioned in her original complaint. The FIR was reportedly lodged nearly two to four hours after the incident, following strong objections from the bereaved family, who had earlier refused to conduct the post-mortem or perform last rites until the case was formally registered. 'Forced suicide' of Dalit IPS officer in Haryana result of BJP's 'Manuwadi' system: Mallikarjun Kharge