Cop Found Dead a Week After IPS Officer Puran Kumar; Video Points to Corruption Angle, Forensic Probe Underway

Haryana Cop Found Dead a Week After IPS Officer Puran Kumar’s Suicide; Video Points to Corruption Link, Forensic Probe On.

A week after Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Y Puran Kumar died by suicide at his Chandigarh residence alleging harassment, another police officer’s death in Haryana has deepened the controversy surrounding the case. Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Sandeep Kumar Lathar, 41, from Julana village in Jind, was found dead on Tuesday at a room in Ladhot village near his posting in Rohtak. Police said he allegedly shot himself with his service revolver.

A handwritten note and a video purportedly left behind by Lathar have surfaced online, both allegedly naming IPS officer Puran Kumar and referring to corruption within the force. “A forensic investigation is underway, and further details will be shared once the report is ready,” said Rohtak SP Surendra Singh Bhoria.

In the six-minute video circulating on WhatsApp and other platforms, Lathar purportedly claims that Puran Kumar accepted bribes to drop names of accused persons from serious cases, including murder. Calling himself a “sacrifice for honesty” and referencing Bhagat Singh, the ASI says he could no longer tolerate the alleged corruption.

Lathar’s purported video disputes the caste angle in Puran Kumar’s death, alleging instead that the IPS officer “did not die because of caste but because he was corrupt and scared of being caught.”

The video also refers to a recent corruption-cum-extortion case in Rohtak, where a head constable was caught allegedly collecting bribes from a liquor contractor. The ASI was reportedly part of the team that made the arrest, and the constable had allegedly named Puran Kumar as a beneficiary.

Earlier, Puran Kumar’s suicide note — and a subsequent complaint by his wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar — accused top officials, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur, of harassing him because of his Dalit identity. His death triggered a major political storm.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi met Puran Kumar’s family in Chandigarh on Tuesday, saying the case “sends a wrong message to Dalits that no matter how successful you are, you can be crushed.” The Haryana government, led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, has sent the DGP on leave and promised strict action in the IPS officer’s case, which is being probed by the Chandigarh Police. The FIR includes sections under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Prominent leaders — including Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Chandrashekhar Azad, Kumari Selja, and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann — have also met the bereaved family. Meanwhile, Puran Kumar’s body remains in the mortuary, as the family has refused post-mortem or cremation until action is taken against those they accuse of driving him to suicide.