Two Suicides, Dueling 'Final Notes,' And The Scandal Rocking Haryana Police | Explained

Last Updated:October 15, 2025, 11:49 IST

Haryana Police is in crisis after a Dalit IPS officer and a Jat ASI died by suicide, leaving behind explosive claims of caste bias, corruption, and systemic harassment

In his suicide note accessed by CNN-News18, Lather (left) also alleged that Puran Kumar (right) was a "corrupt cop". (News18)

On October 7, 2025, senior Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar was found dead in his official residence in Chandigarh. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, allegedly self-inflicted with his service revolver. An eight- to nine-page typed document titled “Final Note" was recovered from the scene, in which the officer accused several senior colleagues of harassment, caste discrimination, and systemic persecution.

Just a week later, on October 14, a second shockwave hit the state: Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Sandeep Kumar Lather, posted with Rohtak’s Cyber Cell, was found dead with a gunshot wound in a room near Ladhot village. He, too, left a handwritten note—three to four pages long—along with a 6.26-minute video message.

The two deaths, separated by a week, share a series of uncanny similarities. Both officers were found with gunshot wounds to the head, and both left behind documents titled “Final Note." The manner in which they were said to have taken their lives was also identical. Nobody saw Y Puran Kumar shooting himself, and nobody saw Sandeep Kumar Lather killing himself.

In each case, families initially refused to allow post-mortem examinations. Puran Kumar’s body was found in his official residence in Chandigarh, while Sandeep’s was discovered in a room near an agricultural field in Rohtak. The matching circumstances and timing have added a layer of intrigue to an already combustible investigation.

But while the method of both deaths mirror each other, the content of their final words could not be more different.

ASI Sandeep Kumar, in his handwritten note and video, accused Y Puran Kumar of corruption and claimed that caste was being misused to deflect accountability.

What began as a single tragic death has now spiralled into a full-blown institutional, social and political crisis.

Who Was Y Puran Kumar, And What Did His Suicide Note Say?

Y Puran Kumar was a 2001-batch IPS officer from the Scheduled Caste community. According to the PTI, he was recently posted as Inspector General of Police at the Police Training Centre (PTC), Sunaria, in Haryana’s Rohtak.

On October 7, he was found dead in his Chandigarh residence. His family claimed that he had been subjected to years of mental harassment and systemic humiliation. In a typed suicide note titled “Final Note," Kumar named between 12 and 16 serving and retired IAS and IPS officers, including Haryana Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur and Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarnia. The note accused them of caste-based discrimination, targeted harassment, denial of leaves, and attempts to damage his career.

The note became the basis of an FIR filed by Chandigarh Police, after Kumar’s wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, submitted a formal request and sought the inclusion of provisions under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. These provisions were later added.

As part of the investigation, police have found that Y Puran Kumar made a few calls in the final two to three hours before his death. Among those he reportedly contacted were his lawyer, his wife Amneet P Kumar, and Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur, one of the officers named in his suicide note.

Investigators are working to establish what was discussed in that final call with the DGP. Police are also planning to obtain full call records to trace all interactions in Kumar’s last moments.

What Happened After Puran Kumar’s Death?

Kumar’s suicide unleashed a series of administrative and political tremors. DGP Shatrujeet Kapur, one of those named in the suicide note, was sent on leave. SP Bijarnia was transferred. The Chandigarh administration formed a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the allegations in the note.

Politicians across party lines reacted strongly. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met the bereaved family and said, “This is not about one family’s honour. This is about the respect of all Dalits. A message is being sent that no matter how successful a Dalit becomes, he can still be humiliated and crushed."

Union minister Ramdas Athawale, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and BSP MP Chandrashekhar Azad also expressed concern. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini promised strict action and said, “No one will be spared, regardless of their position."

Following prolonged refusal, the family consented to the post-mortem after receiving assurances from the Chandigarh Police and the Haryana government of a fair and transparent probe. In a written statement dated Wednesday, Amneet P Kumar said she was allowing the post-mortem in the interest of justice, based on the state’s commitment to act against any erring officials and the UT Police’s promise of a professional and impartial investigation. She stated that she had full faith in the judiciary and the authorities, and expressed hope that the truth would emerge through a time-bound probe.

Who Was ASI Sandeep Kumar And What Did He Allege?

On Tuesday, ASI Sandeep Kumar Lather, a 41-year-old officer from Jind’s Julana village and posted in Rohtak’s Cyber Cell, was found dead in a room near an agricultural field. The official version is that he died by suicide, using his service revolver.

Kumar left behind a suicide note and a video message. He stated that he was “sacrificing his life for truth" and alleged that IPS officer Y Puran Kumar was corrupt, not a victim of caste harassment.

In his words: “I am sacrificing my life for this truth. I am proud that I stand with honesty. This is important to awaken the country," adding that his family had a legacy of fighting for India’s Independence.

He further alleged, “Y Puran Kumar took bribes to exclude names of accused from cases as serious as murder." According to Sandeep Kumar, the IPS officer was involved in manipulating transfers and protecting corrupt officers while replacing honest ones. “These people blocked files, called petitioners and mentally tortured them by asking for money. Women police personnel were sexually exploited in exchange for transfers," he claimed.

The ASI also alleged that Puran Kumar had attempted to deflect attention from a corruption probe by invoking caste bias: “This is not a caste issue. Truth must come out. He was corrupt," Kumar said.

Sandeep praised SP Narendra Bijarnia, named in the IPS officer’s suicide note, calling him an honest officer who was unfairly removed.

Are The Two Cases Connected?

Sandeep Kumar was part of an investigation into a corruption case in Rohtak involving a head constable named Sushil Kumar, who was caught allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh from a liquor contractor, Praveen Bansal. The contractor had reportedly approached Y Puran Kumar after being threatened by gangsters.

Sandeep Kumar claimed that the bribe was collected by Sushil on behalf of Puran Kumar. He said in his video: “The roots of his corruption run very deep. He has committed suicide fearing the complaint against him."

The ASI further alleged that Amneet P Kumar and others were trying to “sideline the DGP and other honest officers to continue their corrupt ways." At the time of filing of reports, Amneet P Kumar had not issued a public response to Sandeep’s allegations.

What’s The Political Fallout?

The back-to-back deaths have exposed deep fault lines in Haryana’s administrative and political landscape. On one side, Puran Kumar’s death is being framed as a chilling case of caste-based institutional oppression. On the other, Sandeep Kumar’s suicide has raised serious questions about the corruption allegations and the political narratives built around them.

The caste angle is especially sensitive. Puran Kumar was a Dalit. Sandeep Kumar belonged to the Jat community. Jats constitute about 27 per cent of Haryana’s population, while Dalits account for around 22 per cent. The state has a history of caste-related violence, including the 2010 Mirchpur incident and the 2016 Jat reservation agitation.

After the ASI’s death, his family refused to allow a post-mortem or claim the body, demanding that a case be filed against those supporting Puran Kumar. Meanwhile, police have confirmed that a forensic investigation is ongoing. The authenticity of the suicide notes and video is also under examination.

What Happens Next?

Both deaths are now under separate investigations. The Chandigarh Police, along with the SIT, is probing the allegations in IPS Puran Kumar’s note, while the Rohtak Police is investigating ASI Sandeep Kumar’s case.

While post-mortems have now been cleared, investigators face hurdles: the delayed forensic handover of digital data, political pressure from both sides, and the potential for unrest if either narrative is perceived as being suppressed.

A senior Haryana police officer, quoted in The Indian Express, said: “A close watch is being kept and all steps are being taken to maintain law and order in the state."

Karishma Jain

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar...Read More

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar...

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