Who was Y Puran Kumar, the Haryana IPS officer known for speaking up against caste bias, official misconduct

Hours before his death, Haryana ADGP made 15 calls to his wife, accused senior officers of 'mental harassment' in suicide note

Y Puran Kumar, an IPS officer of the Haryana cadre, was allegedly found dead with a gunshot wound at his residence in Sector 11, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. The 52-year-old, who hailed from Andhra Pradesh, was known for his proactive interventions in various issues related to administration, seniority, and rights of officers, besides the transparent functioning of the system.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the 2001-batch officer served in several districts of Haryana and also served as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) heading Ambala and Rohtak ranges, besides heading the Home Guards, Telecommunications, and several other key departments. He was due to retire in 2033.

An engineering graduate, Kumar never shied away from challenging assignments or postings and was especially outspoken about the representation of Scheduled Castes (SC) within the police force.

Issues with Haryana government

As per the report, in recent years, Kumar had been involved in several administrative and procedural disputes with the Haryana government.

In April last year, Kumar returned his official vehicle to the state police department and sought a replacement in line with his entitlement. Alleging “discriminatory and selective” allocation of official cars to IPS officers in Haryana, he wrote to then chief secretary T V S N Prasad, requesting an inquiry into the issue. At the time, Kumar was serving as IGP (Telecommunications) and also headed the state police’s Dial-112 Emergency Response project.

Last year, he also raised questions about the promotion of IPS officers of the 1991, 1996, 1997, and 2005 batches in Haryana. As per the report, Kumar, in his letter to Chief Minister (CM) Nayab Singh Saini, stated that the promotions were “illegal because they override the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs based solely on the concurrence of the Finance Department”.

“On October 11, 2022, I had submitted a representation to the then Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, TVSN Prasad…requesting that the officers of the 2001 batch be considered for promotion to the DIG rank as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs,” Kumar’s letter to Saini read. He also demanded that their pay be refixed and arrears be given.

Caste-based discrimination

Kumar further said his representation was ignored because he and his batchmates belong to the SC category. He also claimed that the state’s Home Department routinely sends files to legal officers for opinion, even when it is not required.

Kumar alleged that he faced caste-based discrimination, pointing out that IPS officers of the 1997 batch had their pay fixed early and were given advance increments. While those orders were later put on hold, his own promotion, he claimed, was delayed.

In 2024, he filed five complaints within a span of less than two months, alleging “harassment and humiliation” by a senior IAS officer. He also objected to the February 8 decision to form a three-member committee of former IAS officers to investigate his allegations.

‘IGP (Home Guards) not a cadre post in Haryana’: Kumar to chief secretary

In March 2023, the government appointed him as IGP (Home Guards). However, citing the IPS gradation list and the IPS 2017 (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Amendment Regulation of Haryana, Kumar wrote to then chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal in October that year, stating that the IGP (Home Guards) position was not a cadre post in the state.

As per the report, he added that the Home Department had informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court the same year that the post of IGP (Home Guards) was never created by the state government.

Kumar alleged that he was “assigned the post despite there being vacant cadre posts in Haryana in the IGP rank to allegedly insult, humiliate and harass him in public view for over seven months now.”

In 2022, he took action against the alleged unauthorized construction of a temple in Police Lines, Sirsa, highlighting administrative lapses and prompting a probe into the issue. Kumar’s wife, Amneet P Kumar, a senior IAS officer, is currently in Japan as part of an official delegation accompanying the Haryana CM.