Amid Haryana IPS officer’s death row, PM Modi cancels Sonepat visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cancelled his October 17 visit to Sonepat amid the ongoing stalemate over the autopsy of Haryana-cadre IPS officer Y Puran Kumar and mounting pressure on the Nayab Singh Saini government for failing to act on the demands of the deceased officer's family.

With Haryana ministers and senior officers failing to end the impasse before the PM's scheduled visit that now stands cancelled, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's trusted aides are learnt to be making concerted efforts to get the breakthrough.

PM Modi was slated to address the ‘Jan Vishwas-Jan Vikas’ programme in Sonepat and launch a number of new initiatives to mark the one year of the state government’s third term.

While no reason has been attributed for the changed plans, sources in the BJP admitted that the situation following the officer's suicide was not conducive for the PM's visit.

The late officer's family is firm on its demand for the arrest of DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur and SP Narendra Bijarniya before proceeding with the postmortem and cremation. Though the government has transferred Bijarniya as Rohtak SP, it hasn't taken any action against the DGP, who is considered close to Khattar.

In the past 24 hours, Khattar's media adviser Sudesh Kataria has visited the deceased cop's family twice. A former Chief Minister of Haryana for nine years, and now an MP from Karnal, Khattar’s influence on his former state remains significant.

During Monday’s visit, Haryana Scheduled Castes Commission’s Vice-Chairman Bijendra Badgujar and Information Commissioner Amarjit Singh also accompanied Kataria. Amarjit Singh had earlier served as Khattar’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD). They stayed at the house of IAS Amneet P Kumar, the wife of Puran Kumar, for about an hour and tried to persuade the family.

It is learnt that Khattar had talked to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini before sending his trusted Dalit leader Kataria to talk to the family. Besides, another Khattar confidante, Tarun Bhandari, who is serving as political secretary to CM Saini, visited the late officer's family four times in the past 24 hours. Bhandari served as publicity adviser to Khattar when he was CM.

Rajesh Khullar, Chief Principal Secretary to the CM and another Khattar confidante, has been holding talks with Amneet P Kumar for the past couple of days, but in vain.

In his suicide note, Puran Kumar mentioned that Khattar dictated a note to the ACS (Home) to keep the chargesheet proceedings against him in abeyance and re-examine the entire matter in the light of supplementary comments submitted by him.

Meanwhile, a Congress delegation, led by MP Deepender Hooda, visited the IPS officer's family today. “The family is not satisfied with the action taken so far. The entire country, including the SC community, is looking to the state government and the Centre to ensure that justice is delivered and the culprits are punished severely," he said.

Ambala MP Varun Mulana, Sonepat MP Satpal Brahmachari, and a retired IAS officer and MLA Chandra Prakash Jangra were also part of the delegation. This was Deepender’s second visit to the family in the past 48 hours.

Telangana Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka also met the family. He questioned the silence of both the Haryana Government and the Centre over the matter and slammed them for failing to take any action against the accused.

From the BJP, Industries Minister Rao Narbir Singh visited the family today to offer his condolences. Also, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale was among the visitors.