New Delhi/Chandigarh, Oct 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled rally in Sonipat on October 17 has been postponed following nationwide outrage over the death of senior IPS officer Y Puran Kumar. Authorities cited public sensitivities and ongoing investigations as reasons for deferring the event, with a new date expected to be announced shortly.
The controversy erupted after Kumar’s suicide note allegedly named several senior IPS and IAS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, accusing them of harassment and caste-based discrimination. Public outrage intensified as action against the officials named in the note was perceived as delayed.
In a late development on Monday, the Haryana government sent DGP Kapur on leave and transferred SP Bijarniya, while appointing Surinder Singh Bhoria as the new SP of Rohtak. The Chandigarh Police have formed a six member Special Investigation Team (SIT) under IG Pushpendra Kumar to probe the case.
Political leaders from across the country visited Kumar’s family in Chandigarh to express solidarity. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka met the family in person, while Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy called Kumar’s wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, to extend condolences. Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi are also scheduled to visit the family, demanding an independent investigation led by a sitting Supreme Court judge.
Kumar’s family has withheld consent for a post-mortem, insisting that the officials named in the suicide note be arrested first. Police have warned that delaying the autopsy could compromise forensic evidence, though legal provisions allow examinations under magistrate supervision without family consent in certain cases.
The FIR has been amended at the request of Kumar’s wife to include Section 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which carries a potential life sentence. The case has drawn sharp criticism from the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission, which has urged immediate arrests of all 14 individuals mentioned in the note, citing insufficient clarity in the initial police report.
The incident has sparked nationwide debates on institutional caste discrimination, harassment within police services, and the need for independent oversight. With post-mortem pending, FIR amendments in progress, and political pressure mounting, the SIT investigation in Chandigarh has become the focal point for accountability in one of the most high profile cases of police harassment in recent years.
The postponement of PM Modi’s rally reflects the sensitive nature of the ongoing crisis, and authorities continue to navigate the delicate balance between public outrage and due process.