Chandigarh: The alleged suicide by senior IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar on October 7 – after he accused his superiors of caste-based discrimination and humiliation – has triggered a political storm not just in Haryana but across the country.The echo of the incident has reached as far as Bihar, where elections are due next month.The death of a senior police officer has shaken up the system, raising serious questions over persistence of caste discrimination even within high echelons of bureaucracy. But what’s more surprising is the lack of prompt action by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana.The party’s cautious and guarded response so far has only intensified the controversy, enabling the opposition parties to seize the narrative and mount a sustained attack on the Haryana government over mishandling of the case.The deceased’s family has presented two major demands. First, the immediate suspension and arrest of state DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, as the family claimed that a conspiracy by these officers had triggered the officer’s suicide. Second, the family has demanded clarity in the names of others accused in the FIR along with the addition of stringent sections of the SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act.Expressing the anguish of the family in a media statement yesterday (October 11), Amit Rattan, the brother-in-law of the deceased officer and an MLA in Punjab, said, “We are being wronged. An ADGP-level officer has died, and it has been five days, yet we have not received justice.”Situation escalatingTo pacify the family, the Haryana government on October 11 transferred Rohtak SP, four days after the deceased’s death. Calling the move symbolic, the family of the officer has dismissed it as mere eyewash.The problem stems from the BJP government’s silence over any concrete action against the state DGP, even as the situation is worsening by the day. The cremation of the deceased has been put on hold since the family is yet to grant permission for a post mortem, insisting that their pending demands be met first.Chandigarh police, which were investigating the case, moved the officer’s body for post mortem but the family did not grant permission, after which the medical procedure was put on hold.In a statement to the Tribune, the deceased officer’s wife and IAS officer Amneet P. Kumar questioned the rush in conducting the post mortem.Opposition mounting attackOn the other hand, the solidarity of prominent political leaders in the country – Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mayawati, Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann, Chandrashekhar Aazad, and even BJP ally Chirag Paswan – have catapulted the issue to the national stage.A big mahapanchayat in Sector 20 by several Dalit organisations was also organised in Chandigarh on Sunday.The Congress has also threatened state-wide protests if the government fails to act decisively.Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday also accused Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh of “subverting the laws of the country.” Surjewala said, “If the BJP government cannot ensure justice for the family of an ADGP-rank officer, how can a common man expect justice under this regime?”Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring too met the family of the deceased officer at their Chandigarh residence and expressed solidarity in their fight for justice.Prominent Dalit politicians — including Kumari Selja, Ashok Tanwar and Charanjit Singh Channi — have gone further, calling Kumar’s death a “murder of justice.”Speaking to the media on Saturday, Selja questioned why Y. Puran Kumar’s repeated warnings were ignored.“Instead of addressing his complaints, he was harassed and targeted repeatedly,” she said. “This is not just the loss of one honest officer. It’s a reflection of the system’s deep insensitivity.”Former Punjab chief minister Channi told the media, after meeting deceased’s officer’s family, that he did not die by suicide but was martyred for standing up for Dalits and the poor.Channi said that during the farmers’ protest in Haryana, when Kumar was posted in the state, he was allegedly instructed to open fire and take strict action against the agitating farmers. “He refused to adhere to such directions. That was his integrity,” Channi said.Haryana’s Khap panchayats too have lent their support to the family. Khap president Suresh Phogat from Charkhi Dadri told the media that instead of targeting junior officials, stern action should be taken against senior and responsible officers involved in the case. “The family of IPS Y. Puran must get complete justice, and no culprit should escape punishment,” he added.Deadlock continues between family and governmentIn a bid to contain the growing outrage, Saini went into damage-control mode on Saturday, cancelling his scheduled Cabinet meeting and dispatching a team of ministers and senior bureaucrats to Chandigarh to meet IAS officer Amneet P. Kumar, wife of the deceased IPS officer. The delegation was tasked with reassuring the grieving family about a fair and impartial probe.Later, Saini himself issued a public statement asserting that “no matter how influential the culprit may be, they will not be spared.” However, despite the government’s outreach, the deadlock between the family and the administration continues, with the family yet to relent on their demands for action against the accused officers.Mukesh Kumar, General Secretary of the 31-member Shaheed Y Puran Kumar Nayee Sangarash Morcha, told The Wire that the deadlock with the state government will not break unless the government cedes to the demand of the family.While Chandigarh police made some amendments in the FIR last night, action against senior officers by Haryana government is still pending, he added.“We have formed this joint forum in consultation with the family to take the fight to a logical conclusion. The death of Y. Puran Kumar has become one of Haryana’s most emotional issues, which has exposed caste bias, lack of administrative accountability, and mistrust in governance,” he added.According to political pundits, the BJP government’s handling of this case so far has raised several questions over its claims on issues of social justice and equality.Mahapanchayat gives 48-hour ultimatum to BJP govtThe mahapanchayat unanimously passed several important resolutions after a detailed discussion on the matter in the presence of Kumar’s family.The primary demand of the family and the community is the immediate arrest of all accused persons involved in this case. Another resolution is for a fair and independent judicial inquiry to bring out the truth and ensure that the guilty are given strict punishment.Until the accused are arrested, there will be no question of conducting the post-mortem or performing the last rites, read another resolution.The mahapanchayat has given the BJP government in Haryana a 48 hour-ultimatum to take concrete action and bring all accused under the ambit of law.If the government fails to take effective action within the stipulated time, the community will take to the streets and launch a widespread democratic movement, said members of Martyr Y. Puran Kumar Nyay Sangharsh Morcha, which conducted the mahapanchayat.According to them, this movement will continue until the arrest of the accused, a fair judicial inquiry, and complete justice are achieved.The community also emphasised that this struggle is not just for one family, but a symbol of the fight for dignity, justice and equality for the entire society.