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Chandigarh:  Days after Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapur was named in the FIR related to the alleged suicide of senior IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, the Nayab Singh Saini government has sent him on extended leave. OP Singh, now appointed as the new  DGP, was currently heading the State Narcotics Control Bureau and as MD Haryana Police Housing Corporation.

The late-night decision on Monday follows mounting political pressure and growing unease within the police and administrative establishment. “The government cannot appear insensitive in a case that has stirred public conscience. Sending the DGP on leave was unavoidable,” said a senior BJP functionary, requesting anonymity.

The move came soon after Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarnia, also named in the FIR, was replaced. Both officers’ names, among the 12 others, former and current IAS and IPS, were mentioned in an eight-page suicide note drafted as the final note left behind by Kumar, alleging caste-based bias, humiliation, and irregularities in postings and Annual Performance Reports (APRs).

The government’s decision coincides with the cancellation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Sonipat, which was to be held on October 17 to mark one year of the Nayab Saini government. Planned as a significant public outreach event, the rally was quietly dropped over the weekend, seen as part of a larger effort to contain the fallout from the controversy.

Family agrees to post-mortem after DGP’s exit.

Late Monday evening, sources said the family of Y Puran Kumar, led by his wife and senior IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, had indicated readiness to allow the post-mortem and cremation following the government’s decision to send DGP Kapur on extended leave. The family had earlier refused to proceed until officers named in the FIR were removed and the investigation reframed to reflect the seriousness of the charges.

The development is expected to pave the way for the completion of formalities that had been held up since the officer’s death and ease the standoff between the family and the state government. Wider political tremors

The death of ADGP Y Puran Kumar, found dead at his Sector 11, Chandigarh residence last week, has jolted the state’s administrative and political circles. The late officer, who served as ADGP (Law and Order), had addressed his note to the Union Home Secretary and Haryana Chief Secretary, citing sustained caste bias and professional victimisation.

His death has sparked protests across Haryana, with Dalit groups demanding arrests and a judicial probe. The Opposition has intensified its campaign, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expected to meet the officer’s family in Chandigarh on Tuesday.

For the Saini government, the crisis has become a test of both governance and political judgment. Sending the DGP on leave and cancelling the Prime Minister’s rally may have prevented an immediate escalation. Still, questions over institutional accountability and caste prejudice continue to shadow the state administration.

• October 7: Haryana ADGP Y Puran Kumar found dead at his Sector 11, Chandigarh residence. A nine-page note recovered, naming senior IPS and IAS officers.

• October 10: FIR registered under Section 306 (abetment to suicide); family demands inclusion of DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and SP Narendra Bijarnia as accused.

• October 11–12: Dalit organisations hold statewide protests; family refuses post-mortem until senior officers are removed.

• October 13: Rohtak SP Bijarnia replaced; pressure mounts on the state government to act against DGP.

• October 14: Haryana government sends DGP Kapur on leave; PM Modi’s October 17 Sonipat rally cancelled.

• October 14 (evening): Family signals readiness for post-mortem and cremation after Kapur’s exit.

• October 15 (expected): Rahul Gandhi to meet Kumar’s family in Chandigarh.