ASI Sandeep cremated with state honours, family demands fair probe

A large crowd of mourners, including ministers, Opposition leaders, top police officials and hundreds of locals, bid a tearful farewell to ASI Sandeep Lathar, who was cremated with state honours in Julana town of Jind district on Thursday afternoon.

Lathar, 42, reportedly died by suicide on Tuesday in Ladhaut village of Rohtak district, a week after senior IPS officer Y Puran Kumar ended his life in Chandigarh on October 7. Sources said the Chandigarh Police, which is probing the IPS officer’s suicide, had visited Rohtak and questioned several personnel, including Lathar.

He is survived by his wife Santosh Devi and three children — Pratibha, Rupak and Vihaan. His body was brought to his ancestral home around 2 pm after a post-mortem examination at PGIMS Rohtak. The narrow lanes of Ward No. 4 were filled with villagers who gathered to pay their last respects as the flower-decked ambulance carrying his body passed through.

Several Haryana ministers, including Krishan Lal Panwar, Mahipal Dhanda, Ranbir Gangwa, Shruti Chaudhry and Congress MLA Vinesh Phogat, along with BJP state president Mohan Lal Badoli and DGP OP Singh, attended the cremation and consoled the bereaved family.

Locals remembered Lathar as a “doston ka dost” (a friend of friends) and a dedicated officer known for integrity. “Ye suicide nahi, sacrifice hai (This is not suicide, but a sacrifice),” said a local, reflecting the prevailing sentiment in Julana.

His friend Arjun Pandit, who runs a motorcycle agency while talking to ‘The Tribune’, recalled their last meeting on Sunday. “He seemed disturbed by the developments after the IPS officer’s death. He told me, ‘Ye aasaani se naa nipte’ (‘This won’t be resolved easily’),” Pandit said.

Family members demanded a fair and thorough probe into the circumstances that led to his death. His daughter Priyanka said, “My father was under immense pressure. We want a fair investigation to ensure justice.”

His sisters and relatives wept inconsolably as the final rites were performed amid chants of “Sandeep Amar Rahe.”