𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦: 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡

𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦: 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡

In Haryana, two Tuesdays, two deaths, and two FIRs! Why is there a row of suicides in the Haryana Police? Following the suicide of Y. Puran Kumar, IPS, Additional Director General of Police - Haryana, ASI Sandeep Kumar Lather also embraced death. Is this a coincidence or a conspiracy? Even after 80 years of independence from British imperialistic yoke the 'master-servant" dynamic persists in the police and administrative services. Corruption is a termite that has eroded the administrative system. 

The deaths of two Haryana Police officers has shaken the entire system. Just seven days after Y. Puran Kumar, IPS, committed suicide on October 7, ASI Sandeep Kumar Lather also took his own life with his service revolver, on October 14. Both officials made serious allegations against the police department in their suicide notes. Additional Director General Y. Puran Kumar, named almost all senior police and administrative service officers. Generation after generation has reaped the benefits of being Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, or OBC. After all these benefits, claiming caste-based discrimination is not justified. Enjoy the benefits and wipe your moustache! 

Why did ASI Sandeep Kumar take his own life? He could have written all these objections in his statement. The suicides of two police officers within seven days have caused widespread uproar in Haryana. This corrupt system is prevalent in the police forces of all states. 

The coincidence between the two deaths is quite shocking. Both wrote suicide notes before dying. Both spoke of corruption and casteism in their department. Both mde sensational allegations. This case has now taken a new turn. Sandeep Kumar was a young, courageous officer. IPS Puran Kumar's funeral took place nine days, amid allegations of caste discrimination.

Amneet Puran Kumar is an IAS officer. There was a lot of political uproar over caste discrimination, which is very unfortunate. This woman should have thought about her husband and her actions. Puran Kumar's family had stipulated that there would be no post -mortem or funeral until DGP Shatrughan Singh Kapoor and Rohtak S. P. Narendra Bijarnia, allegedly responsible for her husband's death, were arrested. This case was deeply politicized. Meanwhile, on October 14, ASI Sandeep Kumar, posted in the Rohtak Cyber ​​Cell, shot himself inside his maternal uncle's house. A 4-page suicide note and a 6-minute 28-second video were recovered from him, which has gone viral. SI Sandeep Kumar has accused the Additional Director General Y. Puran Kumar of bribery, sexual harassment, and torture. Following Y. Puran Kumar's suicide, Om Prakash Singh, IPS, was appointed Director General of Police, Haryana. Shatrujeet Kapoor was made a scapegoat and sent on leave. 

False encounters, weekly bribes, third-degree torture, human rights violations, and false FIRs have raised questions about the role of police. Corruption is deeply entrenched. Both police officers titled their suicide notes 'Final Note'. In the video, Sandeep Kumar Lather makes serious allegations against Y. Puran Kumar and his family. He says, "I am an avid follower of Bhagat Singh. This fight will not be left incomplete. I will fight and complete it in my next life as well." He has demanded an investigation into Y. Puran Kumar and his family's assets. Now, an FIR has been filed against Amneet Kumar and her brother. It is also true that Puran Kumar has acquired illegal property. Accusing him of corruption, Sandeep said that Puran Kumar had implicated several honest officers within the department. 

Sandeep Kumar Lather is the officer who played a key role in the arrest of Head Constable Sushil Kumar, a close associate of Puran Kumar. Puran Kumar's name had also recently surfaced in a bribery case. A Rohtak liquor contractor has accused him of extortion and demanding a bribe of Rs.25Lakhs per month. Before his death, Y. Puran Kumar, in an eight-page note, held Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapoor, Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarnia, and 15 senior IPS and IAS officers responsible for his death. Strangely enough, he wrote that caste discrimination and mental harassment had broken him. This means that one suicide has been answered with another. O.P. Singh, IPS is the brother-in-law of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. A six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate Y. Puran Kumar's death. The question now is whether ASI Sandeep Kumar will also receive justice after a case of abetment to suicide has been filed against Amneet Kumar? Why did Sandeep take his own life? 

This incident is raising tensions in Haryana, especially since the Dalit community has been protesting since Puran Kumar's death, and now there is anger amongst Sandeep Kumar's Jat community as well. Police have increased vigilance and are in contact with community leaders. This incident has  created a sensitive situation in the state. In retrospect, as long as casteism, reservations, etc. persist, this type of factionalism is natural. Wives in two families are widowed, and children lost their fathers. Police officers should not sacrifice their lives in this manner. Only by remaining alive can we truly eradicate the scourge of the system. Home Minister Amit Shah should take concrete action on this issue in a coordination meeting of the Directors General and Police and  Commissioners of all states, to find methods to avert such a situation in future. 

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡

(Senior journalist, political analyst, human rights advocate, and philanthropist)

singhnofficial@gmail.com