‘FROM FILES TO FIRE: DISCRIMINATION ROTTING WITHIN THE BUREAUCRACY’

‘FROM FILES TO FIRE: DISCRIMINATION ROTTING WITHIN THE BUREAUCRACY’

30-OCT-ENG 20

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------When caste becomes a factor in this factionalism, competence, honesty, and sensitivity are all marginalized. Puran Kumar's death casts a moral shadow over this system of false prestige. This incident is not merely a suicide, but the murder of the soul of a system that so mentally and racially corrupts its officers that they are forced to give up their lives. The suicide of senior Haryana IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar shocked the administrative world. In his suicide note, he targeted 15 IAS and IPS officers, alleging caste-based humiliation and mental harassment. Chandigarh Police registered FIR No. 156 against a total of 14 officers, including DGP Shatrughan Kapoor and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarnia. This is the first time in Haryana's history that so many senior officials have been sentenced simultaneously under the SC/ST Act and the Indian Penal Code. But in an instant, we realized that this was a major blow to the caste discrimination deeply ingrained in the bureaucracy.

On October 7th, a reverberation rippled through Haryana's administrative machinery, exposing the bureaucracy's decency. Senior IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar shot himself in his official residence in Sector 11, Chandigarh. But this wasn't suicide; it was a suicide of caste discrimination, the struggle to climb that ladder, and the oppression inherent in this system. Now, the FIR filed by the Chandigarh police and its silence have become the law's knock. FIR No. 156, which later named DGP Shatrughan Kapoor and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarnia as accused, and 14 other officers on the order, is a milestone in India's administrative history. And being registered under sections 108, 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code and 3(1)(r) of the SC/ST Act, this case is proof that casteism still lingers in high places of power as loudly as it does in the streets of villages.

Puran Kumar's suicide note names 15 IAS and IPS officers. Each name is an accusation, and each accusation an accusation: can't any officer with constitutional powers in this country break the shackles of their caste? "You were a 'surplus post,'" he said, "and his skills were always suppressed, and caste-based threats and abuse broke him mentally." Puran Kumar's career record confirms this conclusion. He was tough and truthful in the police service, but he was repeatedly transferred to lower positions—now IG Home Guards, then IG Telecommunications. When he was appointed IG of the Rohtak Range in April 2023, he must have felt his hard work had paid off. But just five months later, he was transferred to the Sunaria Police Training College—and this is where his mental decline began. This is not the story of one officer, but of an entire system that values ​​"identity" over "merit." Reservation brings a new future to this country, but the system refuses to recognize it.

Dalit officers are often underestimated; they are called "reservation officers" instead of "merit officers." Puran Kumar's death proved that caste permeates not only society but also the corridors of power. Puran Kumar's wife, IAS officer Amneet P. Kumar, filed two separate petitions—one seeking action only against the DGP and Superintendent of Police, and the other demanding the arrest of all 15 officers. This is not the fight of a single officer, but of a sensitive wife and colleague seeking justice from the state. They stated that this was not just a suicide, but a premeditated murder. Several IAS, IPS, and HCS officers expressed solidarity with the Puran family, belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, after the FIR was filed. This is unprecedented; a culture of silence typically prevails in the bureaucracy, where officers often refrain from even talking about their colleagues.

But this time, the silence has been broken. Officials are currently saying that Puran Kumar's murder is not a personal murder—he was a man whose ideals demanded equality and respectful treatment. Chief Minister Nayab Saini met with the family and assured them of a fair investigation. But does this promise translate into justice? Will the state government muster the courage to remove a senior officer from the post of DGP and remove the Superintendent of Police from his post? Or will this, like any other "internal investigation," remain confined to files? For years, there has been talk of caste-based factionalism in Haryana's bureaucracy, which influences the appointments, transfers, and promotions of officials. It's a matter of "who belongs to whom," and seniority is more important than position. And when caste becomes a factor in this factionalism, competence, honesty, and sensitivity are all marginalized. Puran Kumar's death casts a moral shadow over this system of false prestige. This incident is not just a suicide, but the murder of the soul of a system that so mentally and racially corrupts its officials that they are forced to give up their lives.

Following this case, some kind of open dialogue on caste discrimination in the bureaucracy may emerge. But there is also a fear that this issue will become an administrative formality—as it always has been. An inquiry committee will be set up, statements will be recorded, and a conclusive report will declare it a "suicide due to personal reasons." Every word written by the great Puran Kumar still hangs in the air like a question: "When those who administer justice themselves become unjust, who will protest?" This is the last of many examples where a compassionate officer sacrificed his life to demonstrate that the pain of casteism cannot be alleviated from the pinnacle of power. However, the realization that caste has infected Indian politics today is not only the responsibility of the government, but also of society. Puran Kumar is gone, but his suicide note makes it clear that the bureaucratic silence is also a criminal act. The system must hold accountable not only the perpetrators but also its own thinking for his death. Because until this system changes, it will always be like a bullet for every Puran Kumar.