‘Fight between honest and corrupt’: CBI probe demanded in ASI’s death, IGP’s wife named in FIR

The FIR pertaining to the abetment of suicide, lodged by Santosh, the wife of deceased ASI Sandeep Lather, which was being kept under wraps by the local police authorities, has finally surfaced. Maintaining that it was a fight between honest and corrupt officers, the complainant has sought a CBI investigation into the entire episode.

“It is a fight between honest and corrupt officers. An inquiry into our property and that of the accused would reveal who is honest and who is corrupt. The entire episode should be probed by CBI,” she stated.

The deceased IGP Y Puran Kumar's wife, Amneet P Kumar, her brother Aman Ratan, the IGP’s gunman Sushil Kumar, IGP office official Sunil, and an unknown person have been named in the FIR. According to police sources, the FIR has been registered under Sections 108 and 3(5) of the BNS. A special investigation team (SIT) headed by a DSP-level officer has been constituted to probe the matter.

In the FIR, a copy of which is with The Tribune, Santosh stated that a corruption case was recently registered against the then IGP Y Puran Kumar and his gunman Sushil Kumar at the Urban Estate police station in Rohtak. “Before and after the registration of the case, gunman Sushil Kumar, IGP Office official Sunil Kumar, and others threatened and pressured my husband Sandeep, citing the high reach of IGP’s wife Amneet P Kumar, IAS, her brother Aman Ratan, MLA, and their relative in the Scheduled Castes Commission, since my husband was involved in the investigation,” Santosh maintained.

She added that the IGP’s gunman Sushil Kumar was arrested in the case, and other persons named in the FIR were also to be arrested. “It was in this context that IGP Puran Kumar committed suicide. His wife Amneet P Kumar and her brother Aman Ratan did not allow the postmortem examination of the deceased to be conducted, aiming to pressure the government to arrest honest police officers and employees. This was allegedly because a high-level Vigilance inquiry was underway against the IGP, his wife, and some other IAS/IPS officers, and the government was about to take strict action against them,” the complainant alleged.

The complainant further alleged that the IGP’s family members and some corrupt officers were putting pressure on the government to evade action and to take action against honest officers. They also sought to secure prominent positions in the government. Santosh stated that for the past week, her husband had expressed feelings of being undervalued, saying there was no value for honest officers and employees in the Police Department. “It was due to these circumstances that my husband was forced to end his life,” she added.