Haryana IPS officer 'suicide': Committee gives 48-hour ultimatum to authorities to remove DGP
Chandigarh (PTI): A 31-member committee, formed to ensure acceptance of demands of the family of Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who allegedly committed suicide, has given a 48-hour ultimatum to the Chandigarh administration and the Haryana government to remove state police chief Shatrujeet Kapur from his post.
Kapur is one of the police officers against whom Kumar's wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, has sought for allegedly abetting his suicide.
A decision in this regard was taken by the committee at a mahapanchayat held at Guru Ravidas Bhavan in Sector 20 here on Sunday. A heavy police presence was seen around the venue of the event.
"The Haryana DGP and the former Rohtak SP should be arrested in the matter. The Haryana government should remove the DGP from his post. We have given 48 hours after which we will decide the next course of action," a spokesperson of the committee told reporters here after the mahapanchayat.
Despite six days having passed since Kumar, who was last posted as IG at Police Training Centre in Rohtak's Sunaria, died, his post-mortem examination and cremation have not been conducted yet, as the family has refused consent until their demands are met.
The event also witnessed unruly scenes after former Haryana MP Raj Kumar Saini, who had floated his own outfit a few years ago, allegedly made a controversial remark, which triggered an angry reaction from the gathering. Order was restored after organisers appealed to maintain calm.
A message was read on behalf of the IPS officer's family, appealing for support in their fight for justice.
Gurmail Singh, who is also a member of the committee, said the demand for a judicial probe into the matter was also raised during the mahapanchayat.
Karamvir, another member of the committee, said, "The family and the Dalit community are apprehensive that if the last rites of the deceased officer are conducted, then the government may not act against the accused".
"If justice is not given to the family, then we will decide the next course of action...We want to know what the Special Investigation Team, which has been constituted by Chandigarh police, has so far done in this case," he said.
He said an association of Safai Karamcharis in Chandigarh has extended support to the family.
Fifty-two-year-old Kumar, a 2001-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, allegedly shot himself dead at his Sector 11, Chandigarh, residence on October 7.
In an eight-page 'final note' purportedly left behind by Kumar, he named eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Kapur and former Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya, for allegedly harassing and maligning his image.
The deceased has also given accounts of the alleged harassment, including caste-based discrimination, by some other officers.
The Haryana government had on Saturday transferred Bijarniya and appointed IPS officer Surinder Singh Bhoria in his place.
In her complaint to Chandigarh Police on Wednesday, the deceased officer's wife sought an FIR against Kapur and Bijarniya under Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, demanding their immediate arrest.
She had claimed on Friday that the FIR lodged in the case contained "incomplete information", and sought its amendment to "accurately reflect the names of all the accused".
In a letter to Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur, the officer's wife said that the accused should be named in the FIR, and specifically mentioned Kapur and Bijarniya.
"As per my complaint, the names of the accused (1) Shatrujeet Kapur and (2) Narendra Bijarniya have not been entered in the FIR, which was the trigger point for his (Puran Kumar's) suicide," Amneet had said in the plea to the SSP.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway from the Haryana government to persuade Kumar's wife to agree to the post-mortem examination and cremation.
On Saturday, Haryana ministers Krishan Lal Panwar, Krishan Kumar Bedi, Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, and principal secretary to the CM, Rajesh Khullar and some other senior officers of the Haryana government met Kumar's family, seemingly an attempt to persuade them.
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Minister Patil chairs industry meetings to chart growth for key sectors in Karnataka
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.
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