OP Singh Appointed as Haryana's New DGP Following IPS Officer's Suicide Controversy

OP Singh has been appointed as the new director general of police (DGP) of Haryana today, following the placement of incumbent DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur on leave amid controversy surrounding IPS officer Y Puran Kumar's suicide.

The official notification issued by Sumita Mishra Singh, additional chief secretary (Home) of Haryana, stated: "The Governor of Haryana is pleased to assign the additional charge of DGP, Haryana, to Om Prakash Singh, IPS (1992 RR), during the leave period of Shatrujeet Singh Kapur."

OP Singh hails from Bihar's Jamui district and belongs to the 1992 IPS batch. Notably, he is the brother-in-law of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who passed away by suicide in 2020.

Throughout his distinguished career, Singh has served as special advisor to former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. His previous roles include Police Commissioner of Ambala/Panchkula, Faridabad IGP of Hisar Range, and IGP Rewari Range. His service has been recognized with the Police Medal in 2008 and the President's Police Medal for distinguished service in 2017.

Interestingly, Sushant Singh Rajput's cousin, Neeraj Kumar Singh Bablu, currently serves as an MLA from Bihar's Chhatapur Legislative Assembly and holds the position of Environment and Forest Minister in Nitish Kumar's government.

The leadership change comes in the wake of tragic circumstances involving Y Puran Kumar, a 52-year-old 2001 batch IPS officer, who allegedly died by suicide on October 7. In his final note, Kumar implicated eight senior IPS officers, including the former Haryana DGP and the then Rohtak Superintendent of Police, for harassment and defamation. His allegations included detailed accounts of harassment and caste-based discrimination by certain officers.

Kumar had recently been posted as the Inspector General of the Police Training Centre in Rohtak's Sunaria.

His wife, Amneet, has alleged that her husband's death resulted from "systematic persecution" by high-ranking officers. The family has refused consent for post-mortem examination and cremation until their demands are addressed.

Chandigarh police have established a six-member special investigation team to investigate the circumstances of Kumar's death.

The opposition has strongly criticized the state BJP government over this incident. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the deceased officer's family in Chandigarh today. According to Gandhi, the officer endured years of systematic discrimination as colleagues worked to demoralize him and damage his career and reputation.

"This is not just about one family. There are crores of Dalit brothers and sisters in the country. A wrong message is going out to them, that no matter how successful, intelligent, or capable you are, if you are a Dalit, you can be crushed, trampled, and thrown away. This is not acceptable to us," Gandhi stated.

He has called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to take action against the officers named in Kumar's final note.