Wife perturbed with police 'rush' for post-mortem exam

Perturbed with the "rush" created by the Chandigarh Police in carrying out the post-mortem examination, senior IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, wife of late IPS officer Y Puran Kumar who committed suicide on October 7 at his Sector 11 residence, alleged that the Chandigarh Police did not show “any dignity in the handling of the body”.

"The onus is on the Chandigarh Police. I agreed to the post-mortem examination but had clearly stated that our children would pay their last respects to their father before the body is taken away for post-mortem examination. However, in complete disregard, the police took the body from the government hospital in Sector 16 despite the absence of family members," the agitated wife rued, speaking exclusively to The Tribune. She added that the Chandigarh Police completely disregarded the Dalit IPS officer’s stature and his widow’s sentiments.

Maintaining that he was being denied dignity even in death, the wife of the late officer, livid at the rush shown by the police, said, "Let them do what they want with the body if the consent of the family is so irrelevant. I have maintained dignity by keeping quiet so far. However, things have come to such a pass that the police did not care to wait for my children or a family member before completing the formalities and shifting the body for the post-mortem examination. What was the rush? Let the Chandigarh Police explain their conduct and let the DGP suspend all the personnel for going ahead without the family’s clearance."

Meanwhile, when contacted, DGP Chandigarh Police, Sagar Preet Hooda, admitted there had been a communication gap. "There was a communication gap but we are not proceeding with the post-mortem examination till the family consents to it. The SSP is accompanying the body and the process will begin only once the family gives its go-ahead," he asserted. Later in the day, the DGP and the SSP called on the family to explain their position.

Meanwhile, the secretary of the 31-member Shaheed Y Puran Kumar (IPS) Nyay Sangharsh Morcha, Mukesh Kumar, claimed that the police “forcibly” took the body for post-mortem examination and only called up the family once it was about to begin. “How can they call up and ask the family to show up? That is grossly insensitive,” he said, adding that justice would be delivered only if the two officers are arrested.

Meanwhile, the family is disturbed with the "lack of dignity shown to the dead" by the Chandigarh Police.

Multiple rounds of talks

The Haryana Government -- through its ministers Krishan Lal Panwar and Krishan Bedi and also Chief Principal Secretary to CM, Rajesh Khullar -- held multiple rounds of talks with Amneet P Kumar, wife of the deceased IPS officer. Sources said that efforts were on to convince the family members to allow post-mortem examination after some "fresh demands" were raised by them. While Khullar held an over two-hour-long meeting with the IPS officer's wife in the afternoon, he held another meeting with the family in the presence of Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi and ACS (Home) Sumita Mishra. The two ministers were also present.