Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia paid tribute to IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar, who took his own life after facing caste-based harassment, and met his grieving family. He said a capable Dalit officer was pushed to death in a system where even the Chief Justice faces humiliation, holding those in power accountable for reviving caste divisions and failing to act against this vile mindset.
On Saturday, visiting to pay tribute to IPS officer Puran Kumar, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia stated, “The entire nation is shocked by this incident. It is a matter of pride that our system had IPS officers like Puran Kumar, whose heart and mind worked for the people. But after his suicide, it is very difficult to express the pain his family is going through. Late Puran Kumar’s wife is also an officer, and the entire family is educated. This family has lost their only support in him and is in deep shock.”
He continued, “The way his body was shifted from one place to another and the manner in which the police behaved raises serious suspicions. It seems as if something is being hidden or suppressed. Despite this, the family still hopes for justice from the government and believes that the system will deliver it.”
Highlighting the growing caste-based oppression in India, Manish Sisodia said, “Today, there is an atmosphere of atrocities against Dalits across the country. A person who studies hard and becomes an IPS officer purely on the basis of talent, securing a top position, faces harassment because he belongs to a Dalit community. Even someone who rises to the highly respected position of Chief Justice of India is subjected to humiliation.”
He asked, “What kind of India are we building? On one hand, the world in the 21st century is moving towards artificial intelligence and technology, while on the other, we are living in a time when a shoe is thrown at the Chief Justice just because he belongs to a Dalit family. An IPS officer from a Dalit background is tortured to such an extent—why? Some people cannot accept that despite being from a Dalit family, he had the courage to rise so high. What kind of country are we creating, and why are we not taking collective action against such incidents?”
Referring to the action taken by the AAP government in Punjab, Manish Sisodia added, “Two days ago, there was a complaint about objectionable social media posts against the Chief Justice, and the Punjab government immediately registered a First Information Report (FIR) and took action. Why is similar action not being taken across the country? Politics alone will not help; educated and powerful people in positions of authority must act.”
“Today, this family is looking towards educated, powerful, and political leaders with the hope of justice. If we want more people to reach top positions in the judiciary or bureaucracy, we must defeat caste-based politics and such regressive mindsets. The Aam Aadmi Party stands firmly with every family that faces harassment for being Dalit. Every sensitive person in the country stands with those families who are oppressed in government offices because of their Dalit identity,” he concluded.
