Gurugram: Haryana Police has started a fundraising initiative to help the family of Sandeep Lathar, the Rohtak ASI, whose suspected death by suicide rattled the force, which was already reeling after the suicide of senior officer Y.Puran Kumar.
The two deaths, reported within a week, are allegedly interlinked. Lathar, in a note and a video before his death on 14 October, had accused Inspector General (IG) Puran Kumar of corruption. The IG, before his death days earlier, had levelled allegations of caste discrimination against his seniors.
Haryana’s Director General of Police (DGP) O.P.Singh, in a communication dated 21 October, requested voluntary contributions from cops across the state.
Lathar is survived by his mother, wife, two daughters and a son. Two of his children are minors, and are pursuing their education, the DGP’s letter says, adding that police can help the family with financial support.
Rohtak Superintendent of Police (SP) Surinder Singh Bhoria followed up with a similar letter, asking all police station in-charges to circulate the letter and drum up support to raise aid. The circular says IPS officers can contribute Rs 3,000, DSPs Rs 2,500, sub-inspectors Rs 1,800 and ASIs Rs 1,500, among others.
Those who have any doubts or are not able to contribute can convey their concerns in a written communication to the SP, it adds.
A police source told ThePrint on Thursday that a WhatsApp group has been formed to coordinate aid collection.
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The case, so far
On 7 October, Puran Kumar, a 2001-batch IPS officer, is believed to have shot himself at his house in Chandigarh.
An eight-page note recovered from his house accused then-DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur and then-Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya of trying to frame him in a “false” case of corruption.
Puran Kumar also accused Kapur of using Bijarniya by arresting his gunman in Rohtak and obtaining statements against him through coercion. The note mentioned 13 other retired and serving officers of discriminating, harassing and humiliating him over his caste.
On a complaint by Kumar’s wife, IAS officer Amneet P.Kumar, Chandigarh police registered an FIR for abetment of suicide and under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The state government transferred Bijarniya a day after the FIR and sent Kapur on leave on 14 October.
The same day that Kapur was sent on leave, ASI Lathar–who was part of the Rohtak police team that arrested Puran Kumar’s gunman–allegedly shot himself with his service revolver in Ladhot village of Rohtak.
Lathar, before his death, recorded a video and left a four-page note, in which he described DGP Kapur and SP Bijarniya as honest officers, and levelled allegations of corruption against Puran Kumar.
A second FIR was also registered to investigate Lathar’s death. While contents of the FIR are yet to be released, police had assured the ASI’s family that it names Puran Kumar’s wife, his MLA brother-in-law Amit Rattan, and others.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)