Chandigarh: Senior Haryana police officer Y Puran Kumar, 52, was found dead at his Chandigarh residence on Tuesday afternoon, officials confirmed. The 2001-batch IPS officer, recently appointed as Inspector General of Police at the Police Training Centre (PTC) in Sunaria, Rohtak, reportedly shot himself, police said.
Authorities discovered Kumar’s body in a basement room of the upscale Sector 11 house, with a gunshot wound. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) team seized physical and electronic evidence, including the weapon, as part of the ongoing investigation. According to Chandigarh police, a “Will” and “Final Note” were also recovered from the scene.
“Police received information about the reported suicide around 1:30 pm. The SHO of Sector 11 and his team inspected the scene. The body was identified as that of Y Puran Kumar, IPS officer,” Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur told reporters. She added that those present in the house at the time are being questioned.
Kumar, an engineering graduate from Andhra Pradesh, had served in several districts including Ambala, Rohtak, and Kurukshetra. He had previously held the position of Rohtak Range IG before his recent posting at PTC, Sunaria. His retirement was scheduled for May 2033.
Hailing from a background marked by advocacy, Kumar had been vocal on issues of scheduled caste representation within the police force. Last year, during parliamentary elections, he lodged complaints with the Haryana Chief Electoral Officer over IAS and IPS officers holding multiple charges. He also raised concerns with the state government regarding what he described as selective allocation of official vehicles to IPS officers. In prior years, he alleged caste-based harassment by a senior police officer.
Kumar is survived by his wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, currently in Japan as part of a delegation led by Chief Minister Nayab Saini, and their two daughters. She is expected to return on Wednesday. Chandigarh police stated that a postmortem will be conducted by a board of doctors following her arrival.
Late Tuesday, the Haryana Police issued a statement expressing shock at Kumar’s sudden death. “The Haryana Police is deeply saddened and shocked by the untimely demise of Shri Y Puran Kumar, IPS, Inspector General of Police, P T C Sunaria. We stand with his family in this difficult time. May God grant peace to his noble soul,” it read on X in Hindi.