Haryana's Police Crisis: Suicides Reveal Deep Systemic Failures

"This is a serious matter. It clearly shows that all is not well within the Haryana government. This raises questions about the administration's trust in the government. Why are high-ranking officers taking such extreme steps? Why are they dying by suicide? First, it was IPS officer Puran Kumar, and now an ASI," she said.

Kumari Selja alleged that the administration has lost faith in the government.

"This indicates that the administration has lost faith in the government. It is the government's biggest failure. I have been saying this repeatedly -- unless justice is free, fair, and impartial, we will not understand the real reasons behind these tragic incidents. The government must be held accountable," she added.

Meanwhile, the family of 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Y. Puran Kumar, who committed suicide in Chandigarh last week, gave consent to conduct the autopsy, the ninth day after the incident. The officer will be cremated at around 4 p.m. at the Chandigarh cremation ground, officials said.

The police said Additional Director General of Police Puran Kumar shot himself with a service pistol and died on the spot. The officer left behind a nine-page "final note" that named 15 serving and former officers, put the state police's top brass under the lens for casteism and bias.

In a twist to the incident, a Haryana Police Assistant Sub-Inspector was found dead with a gunshot wound, along with a purported suicide note accusing the late Puran Kumar of corruption.

With Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur was sent on leave amid the controversy surrounding Puran Kumar's suicide, Om Parkash Singh was given additional charge of the Director General of Police on Tuesday. The government had sent State DGP Kapur on leave amid the demand of Kumar's family for action against him and other officers for harassing Puran Kumar.

For over a week, a stalemate continued between Puran Kumar's wife, Amneet P. Kumar, a senior IAS officer in the state, and the government over the demand for the arrest of DGP Kapur and the ousted Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya.

Describing it as a tragedy and sensitive matter, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to fulfil commitments to the family and act against the officers responsible for caste-based discrimination with Puran Kumar.

- IANS