A ‘final note’, a headshot, no witness: The identical pattern in the Haryana IGP and ASI suicides

In a shocking sequence of events, two Haryana police officers have died in apparent suicides just one week apart, leaving behind a trail of contradictory allegations that have plunged the state's law enforcement into crisis and raised concerns over caste tensions.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the deaths of Inspector General of Police Y Puran Kumar on October 7 and Assistant Sub-Inspector Sandeep Kumar this Tuesday share uncanny similarities. Both officers were found dead from gunshot wounds to the head with no eyewitnesses to their deaths.

Crucially, each left behind a "final note" that tells a starkly different story, making the other a central figure in their final words.

The IGP, Y Puran Kumar, left an eight-page typed note. In it, he levelled serious accusations against nine serving Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. Named among them were the state's Director General of Police, Shatrujeet Kapur - who was sent on leave this Monday - and the then Rohtak Superintendent of Police, Narendra Bijarniya, who was transferred last Saturday.

In a dramatic twist, ASI Sandeep Kumar’s four-page handwritten note, as reported by The Indian Express, directly contradicted the senior officer's allegations. Sandeep Kumar defended both DGP Kapur and SP Bijarniya, instead accusing the late IGP Y Puran Kumar of corruption.

The aftermath has seen both families refuse to allow post-mortem examinations, each demanding justice based on the conflicting narratives in the notes.

Y Puran Kumar's family is refusing to claim his body and has called for the arrest of Kapur and Bijarniya. Meanwhile, Sandeep Kumar's family is demanding a case be filed against those supporting the IGP's family.

The situation is further complicated by the caste demographics of Haryana. Y Puran Kumar was a Dalit, while Sandeep Kumar hailed from the Jat community. Together, these groups constitute 22 per cent and 27 per cent of the state's population, respectively and have a history of tension, including violent clashes in Mirchpur in 2010 and during the Jat reservation agitation of 2016.

A senior Haryana police officer confirmed on Tuesday that a close watch is being maintained and all necessary steps are being taken to preserve law and order. The investigations into the two deaths are being handled separately, with Chandigarh Police probing the IGP's death and Rohtak Police investigating the ASI's.