Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur sent on leave

CHANDIGARH: Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur, in the eye of a storm following the suicide of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, was on Monday sent on leave.Rajiv Jaitly, media adviser to Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, confirmed the development but the official order was yet to be released till the filing of this report.The decision came past midnight —a few hours after a mega celebration in Sonipat on Friday to mark a year of the Saini govt was put on hold in view of the deepening tensions over Puran Kumar’s death. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to address the ‘Jan Vishwas-Jan Vikas’ rally.Pressure was mounting on govt to take action against Kapur, as Puran Kumar’s wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, had refused to allow autopsy or cremation until the DGP was removed. The stalemate dragged on for nearly a week.Dalit groups were piling on the pressure and a ‘mahapanchayat’ set up for justice to the family had handed an ultimatum of 48 hours, which expires on Tuesday.The top brass of Haryana govt, including chief principal secretary to CM Rajesh Khullar, held meetings with the family but the deadlock persisted. IPS officer Narendra Bijarniya, who too was named in Puran Kumar’s suicide was removed as Rohtak SP but Amneet stuck to her demand for action against the Haryana DGP.After a series of meetings on Monday that stretched till midnight, it was decided to send Kapur on leave.The aftershocks were felt on another front — govt’s plan to celebrate the first anniversary of the Saini govt.Protests by Dalit groups and growing support of opposition parties for the grieving family were casting long shadows on the event.According to sources, the decision to postpone it was taken after CM Nayab Singh Saini and chief secretary Anurag Rastogi chaired a meeting to review arrangements at the Sonipat venue.Multiple meets led to midnight call on DGPAfter a series of meetings on Monday that stretched till midnight, it was decided to send Kapur on leave. The aftershocks were felt on another front — govt’s plan to celebrate the first anniversary of the Saini govt.Protests by Dalit groups and growing support of opposition parties for the grieving family were casting long shadows on the event. According to sources, the decision to postpone it was taken after CM Nayab Singh Saini and chief secretary Anurag Rastogi chaired a meeting to review arrangements at the Sonipat venue. After the meeting, the CM set off for New Delhi by road where he would have stayed for the night and met dignitaries the next day. He was also due to attend a programme in Nuh on Tuesday.Chandigarh Police, continuing their investigation, have served a notice to IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, widow of the deceased, asking her to submit her late husband’s laptop to the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The laptop is reportedly where Kumar had drafted his suicide note, which remains saved in the device’s drafts.