Chandigarh (PTI): Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday asserted that the family of Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who allegedly committed suicide, will get justice and also said if no action is taken in the matter, then no Dalit family will ever encourage its children to become IAS or IPS officers.

Paswan on Tuesday met the family of Kumar at his residence here to express condolences.

Kumar (52), a 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, allegedly shot himself dead on October 7.

Addressing the media here, Paswan dubbed the incident as painful, and said it has exposed those social evils which showed that people are victimised on the basis of caste and religion even in the 21st century.

Not only for the society, it is a matter of concern for the whole country, he said.

"On one hand, we are presenting India as a power on the world stage, today we are going to the moon. We are doing big work, while on the other hand, in our country, one officer is victimised in such a way that in the end, he lost his life," said Paswan, who is the national president of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas).

It shows that some people are spreading the "poison of casteism" in the entire society, he said.

"I assure the family from the government side that the family's demand will be fulfilled soon. Through this, a message should go across the society and I understand with full responsibility that if no action is taken in the matter then no other Dalit family will ever encourage its children to become IAS or IPS officers," Paswan said.

He said whosoever is guilty, irrespective of the positions they hold, strictest action will be taken against them.

"This is my family. Amneet ji is my sister... this family is not alone, I will also fight along with it," said Paswan.

In an eight-page final note purportedly left behind by him, Kumar accused eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and now transferred Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, of "blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities".

The IPS officer's wife -- senior IAS officer Amneet P Kumar -- 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 on Tuesday sent DGP Kapur on leave amid the opposition's attack on the BJP dispensation over the issue.

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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Tuesday chaired meetings with industry representatives from the aerospace and defence, machine tools, auto/EV, and green energy sectors to discuss sector growth and government support measures.

The meetings were attended by leading industrialists and their representatives, with some participating virtually.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister for Large and Medium Industries said Karnataka is at the forefront of the country’s aerospace and defence sectors.

He noted that Suzuki and Toyota plan to launch aerial taxi services in Japan by 2028, with Bengaluru-based Sasmos supplying electrical equipment for the project.

Industrialists suggested introducing similar “fly-taxi” services in Karnataka through an appropriate policy, which Patil said would be examined seriously.

The minister highlighted the need to establish testing centres and Common Facility Centres for the aerospace and defence industries and assured that these facilities would be provided.

Suggestions were also made to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for sector growth.

Karnataka has urged the Central Government to approve Defence Corridor projects in the Bengaluru North–Kolar–Chikkaballapur and Dharawada–Vijayapura–Belagavi regions.

Industrialists also suggested a corridor between Bengaluru and Mysuru, Patil said.

He said Karnataka aims to become a hub for defence electronics manufacturing, with plans to establish a 200-acre Defence Electronics Park and a 100-acre Avionics and Sensor Park.

These projects will be implemented once the Special Investment Region is operational, and land availability will not be an issue.

On the machine tools sector, Patil said the industry has recorded an annual turnover of Rs 36,500 crore and is witnessing steady growth.

Large-scale exhibitions have increased demand, and the state must strengthen its capabilities to develop control systems for heavy machinery. One testing unit is already operational in Bengaluru, with another planned for Tumakuru. Expansion of vocational training institutes in industrial areas is also underway.

In the Auto and EV sector, Vision Group members highlighted the need for a network of dry ports and more EV charging stations across the state.

Patil noted that the Tata Group is manufacturing EV buses in Dharawada for nationwide supply. Plans for mini excavator production and export facilitation were also discussed, along with the establishment of a testing facility for two-wheeler EVs.

For the Green Energy sector, the group emphasised the need for a suitable policy on battery-based energy storage and the establishment of data centres.

Patil assured that the government will seriously consider all suggestions and respond positively.