Haryana IPS officer's 'suicide': Family will get justice, says CM Saini
Chandigarh (PTI): In his first public comments over a case involving an IPS officer's "suicide", Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini assured the deceased's family members on Saturday that they will get justice.
Y Puran Kumar, 52, a 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, allegedly shot himself dead at his Sector-11 residence here on Tuesday. He has left behind a "final note".
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana is facing flak from the opposition over the alleged suicide of the officer, with leaders demanding an independent probe into his death.
Addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Panchkula, Saini said Kumar's family members have told him that they want justice.
"I have said that we will probe the matter and whosoever is found guilty, action will certainly be taken against him, no matter how big a person he may be," the chief minister said.
He further said he has spoken to the deceased's wife, Indian Administrative (IAS) officer Amneet P Kumar.
"We are also in touch with the Centre for the resolution of this issue," he said.
Saini asked the opposition parties not to indulge in politics over the issue.
If the deceased's family feels that injustice has been done with it, "we will ensure justice", he said.
"The family will get justice," the chief minister asserted.
Describing Puran Kumar's death as unfortunate, Saini said he had asked two officers to accompany the deceased's wife on her way back to India from Japan after she was informed of her husband's demise.
Amneet Kumar was part of a delegation led by Saini on a three-day tour of Japan when her husband allegedly shot himself in Chandigarh.
She has alleged that her husband's death was the result of "systematic persecution" by high-ranking officers.
After arriving from Japan, Saini met Amneet Kumar here to convey his condolences.
The Chandigarh Police registered an FIR on Thursday on charges of abetment to suicide and under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on the deceased officer's "final note".
In the eight-page "final note", Puran Kumar has named many senior IPS officers, specifically referring to Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak's Superintendent of Police (SP) Narendra Bijarniya, for allegedly harassing and maligning him.
The Chandigarh Police constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday for a "prompt, impartial and thorough" probe in the matter in a time-bound manner.
Chandigarh's Inspector General (IG) Pushpendra Kumar will lead the SIT.
In her complaint to the Chandigarh Police on Wednesday, Amneet Kumar sought an FIR against Kapur and Bijarniya under section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (abetment to suicide) and the relevant provisions of the SC-ST Act, demanding their immediate arrest.
In his "final note", Puran Kumar has named eight senior IPS officers, including Kapur and Bijarniya.
A "will" and the "final note" were among the articles found at the scene where the officer's body was found on Tuesday, according to police.
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Maldivian military diver dead while searching for bodies of four Italian divers
Colombo (AP): A Maldivian military diver died Saturday while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave.
The group of five Italian divers is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 metres in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy's Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 metres.
Maldives Presidential Spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said that Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital.
“The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission,” he said.
Earlier, Shareef said the searchers had prepared a plan based on their progress exploring the cave on Friday. Mahudhee was part of the group that briefed Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on the rescue plan when he visited the search site on Friday.
Rough weather has repeatedly hampered rescue efforts.
The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home. His ministry stated it was coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organisation, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies. The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.
The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.
Benedetti's body was recovered on Thursday.
Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said in a statement Friday. However, the scuba diving activity during which the deadly accident occurred was not part of the planned research and was “undertaken privately,” it said.
The statement also said the two other victims — student Sommacal and recent graduate Gualtieri — were not involved in the scientific mission.
Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires specialised training, equipment and strict safety protocols. Risks increase sharply in environments where divers cannot head straight up and at depth, particularly when conditions are poor.
Experts say it's easy to become disoriented or lost inside caves, particularly as sediment clouds can sharply reduce visibility.
Diving at 50 metres also exceeds the maximum depth recommended for recreational divers by most major established scuba certifying agencies, with depths beyond 40 metres considered technical diving and requiring specialised training and equipment.
Shareef said Benedetti's body was found near the mouth of the cave and authorities believed the remaining four had entered the cave.
Two Italians, a deep-sea rescue expert and a cave diving expert, are expected to join the recovery effort, Shareef said.
Italian officials said that around 20 other Italians on the same expedition aboard the vessel “Duke of York” were safe. Italy's embassy in Colombo was providing assistance to those onboard and had contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to deploy volunteers to help provide psychological aid.
The Maldives tourism ministry said it has suspended the operating license of the “Duke of York” pending an investigation.
The Italian foreign ministry said the cave is divided into three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Recovery teams explored two of the three chambers on Friday, but the search was limited due to considerations over oxygen and decompression.
On Saturday, they will explore the third chamber, the ministry added.
Italian officials and the honourary consul are in contact with the victims' families to provide assistance.
