Haryana IPS officer's 'suicide': Chandigarh Police moves court for directions to family to identify
Chandigarh (PTI): With the family of Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who allegedly committed suicide, refusing to give consent for his autopsy, the Chandigarh Police on Tuesday moved a court here to seek direction to his family to identify the body for a postmortem examination.
On the police's plea, the local court issued a notice to Kumar's wife and IAS officer Amneet P Kumar to file a reply either personally or through counsel on October 15, failing which the application will be decided on merits.
Kumar, 52, allegedly shot himself dead on October 7. However, the postmortem of his body is yet to be conducted as his family has been insisting for action against officers who have been named in a "final note" of the deceased officer.
Kumar's body has been kept at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research.
The Chandigarh Police on Tuesday said it was constrained to move a local court for direction to the family to come forward for identification of the body for the postmortem.
Police earlier requested the family through the investigating officer, the senior superintendent of police and inspector general of police for the autopsy of the Kumar's body.
It was conveyed that it is absolutely vital at this stage that the postmortem be conducted at the earliest to preserve important forensic evidence and in the interest of justice, said a statement of the Chandigarh Police on Tuesday.
Police also moved the court for direction for the production of a laptop of the deceased officer for further investigation.
The family has not yet handed over the laptop, allegedly used by Kumar to type his "final note", to the police.
Police also said notices have been issued to the Haryana government for providing certain documents.
Police had earlier said that a board of doctors was constituted for the autopsy in the presence of executive magistrate, ballistic expert, toxicology expert, forensic expert, and fingerprint expert with videography and photography.
On Sunday, a 31-member committee which was recently formed to seek "justice" for the deceased officer's family gave a 48-hour ultimatum to act against Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Narendra Bijarniya, who was recently transferred as Rohtak SP.
Jai Narayan, spokesperson of the committee, told reporters here Tuesday evening that the committee will hand over a memorandum to Punjab Governor-cum-Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday to demand appropriate action by the Chandigarh Police in the Kumar's "suicide" matter.
In an eight-page "final note" purportedly left behind by Kumar, he accused eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Kapur and now-transferred Rohtak SP Bijarniya, of "blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities".
Kumar's wife has demanded that Kapur and Bijarniya be named in the FIR for allegedly abetting her husband's suicide. The officer's family, which is also seeking their arrest, has refused to give consent for a postmortem and cremation until its demands are addressed.
The Haryana government Tuesday sent DGP Kapur on leave amid opposition's attack on the BJP dispensation over Kumar's alleged suicide, and demand by Kumar's family for action against the officers accused of harassing him.
"Yes, the DGP has been sent on leave by the government," said Rajiv Jaitly, media adviser to the Haryana chief minister.
Later, an official order dated October 14 said that O P Singh, a DGP rank 1992- batch IPS officer, has been assigned the "additional charge of DGP Haryana during the leave period of Shatrujeet Kapur..."
Singh is currently posted as Director General of Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau; Managing Director, Haryana Police Housing Corporation, Panchkula; and Director, Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Madhuban.
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BJP, Opposition in war of words after Constitution Amendment Bill defeat
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP and the Opposition on Saturday engaged in a war of words over the issue of the implementation of women's reservation in legislatures, with Union minister Kiren Rijiju saying the parties which stalled the Constitution Amendment Bill will face the wrath of women.
The Opposition accused the government of delaying implementation by linking it with delimitation and using it to serve its political interests.
While the BJP termed the development a “black day” and accused the Congress and other opposition parties of betraying women, the Congress and its allies asserted that the quota law, passed in 2023, should be implemented immediately and accused the government of playing politics over it.
Parliamentary Affairs Minsiter Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of being anti-women, and said it will have to face their wrath across the country.
“They will have to face the anger of the women of the country. This is a black stain on the Congress and its allies, one that they will never be able to erase. This Bill was about giving historic representation to women—what objection could there have been?” he told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
"The opposition is celebrating after depriving women of their rights; women of the country will teach them a good lesson," he added.
Union minister Shobha Karandlaje targeted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Opposition’s actions had undermined both women’s empowerment and regional representation.
“They have harmed south India as well, where seats could have increased by over 50 per cent. Women were supposed to get reservation, but they have been denied that opportunity. This has been done under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” she alleged.
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj accused the Congress and the INDIA bloc of deceiving women and backtracking on their earlier stand. “They have betrayed the trust of women, and we will take this story of your deception to every citizen,” she said.
Swapna Verma, general Secretary, BJP (Madhya Pradesh) Mahila Morcha, said, “Congress and its INDI alliance have once again exposed their anti-women mindset. Despite the sincere appeal of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji for collective, and non-partisan support, those driven by political obstinacy chose to defeat not just a Bill, but the aspirations of an entire nation.”
Opposition leaders accused the government of delaying implementation and using the issue for political gain in Assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the opposition is not against women’s reservation, but has objected to its linkage with delimitation. “We are fully in support of women’s reservation and would have happily passed the Bill on Friday itself. Our objection was not to reservation, but to linking it with delimitation,” he said.
Tharoor said delimitation raises “fundamental questions” about the country’s future and cannot be rushed.
“This is a very important issue for India’s unity and democracy. It requires serious, wide-ranging discussion -- not something to be decided in a two-day session.
Alleging political motives, he added, “This was a political game, not about women. Women were being used to serve short-term political interests. If the government brings a new Bill in the Monsoon Session without linking it to delimitation, we will pass it.”
"There must be a serious discussion involving all parties and states, especially in light of future Census data and the framework for a new delimitation exercise.”
Congress MP K C Venugopal said there is no disagreement on women’s reservation and demanded its immediate implementation.
“Their agenda was to link delimitation with women’s reservation, which has failed. They wanted delimitation according to their convenience, like in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir, by redrawing constituencies. That has failed.
“We demand that, without any delay, the 2023 women’s reservation law be implemented,” he said.
CPI(M) leader John Brittas alleged that the government’s strategy had been exposed in Parliament.
“The dubious and diabolical game plan of the government has fallen flat. They were using women as a shield to mislead the nation. If they have even an iota of sincerity, let them implement one-third reservation based on the present strength of legislatures,” he said.
“The opposition will jointly defeat any ulterior motives and designs of this government,” he added.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav questioned the legislative process and alleged political motives. “This historic Bill was already passed in 2023. Why was there a need to bring amendments again? Even after that, the earlier law was notified. So what was the need for discussion and voting?” he asked.
“The whole country knows this was done with elections in West Bengal in mind. When you knew you did not have a two-thirds majority, what was the point of bringing it? This shows there was a political angle, not genuine intent,” he said.
The Constitution Amendment Bill, which sought to operationalise women’s reservation and increase the strength of the Lok Sabha, was defeated in the Lower House on Friday as it failed to secure the required two-thirds majority.
While 298 members voted in favour of the Bill, 230 voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for passage.
According to the Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to operationalise the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. Seats were also to be increased in state and Union Territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
