Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi today visited the family of deceased Dalit police officer Y. Puran Kumar in Chandigarh, highlighting the institutional discrimination the officer faced due to his caste that contributed to his tragic death. The case has brought renewed attention to caste bias within India’s power structures.  Gandhi, who offered condolences to Kumar’s wife and daughters, demanded the immediate arrest of all officials named in the senior officer’s suicide note, said there was systematic discrimination against Kumar to demoralise him and damage his career.

“Even after his death, his family continues to face immense pressure.”  Kumar, a 2001-batch IPS officer, was found dead with a gunshot wound at his Chandigarh home on October 7. His eight-page signed suicide note mentioned ‘caste discrimination’, ‘mental harassment’, ‘public humiliation’ and ‘atrocities’, naming 11 senior police officials, including Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Singh Kapur, for his “institutional persecution.” 

Speaking to reporters outside the officer’s home, Gandhi said the case is not just about one family but sends a disturbing message to Dalit communities across India. “Crores of our Dalit brothers and sisters are watching. A wrong message is being sent to Dalits… that no matter how intelligent, capable, or successful you are, if you are a Dalit, you can be suppressed, crushed, and discarded.” 

Gandhi, who spent nearly half an hour with the bereaved family, pointed out that Y Puran Kumar and his wife belong to the Dalit community, saying that the officer faced long-standing institutional discrimination. “This is not something that happened just in 10-15 days, it has been a systematic effort for years — to demoralise this officer, to damage his career, and his reputation,” he said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)