The Haryana Government has approved seven years of compassionate financial assistance for the family of the late IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar, following his wife, Amneet P. Kumar, decision to withdraw their daughter’s claim for a government job on compassionate grounds.
Amneet P Kumar, a senior IAS officer, has opted for financial assistance under the Haryana Civil Services (Compassionate Financial Assistance or Appointment) Rules, 2019, instead of pursuing an appointment for her daughter in the Haryana Civil Services (HCS).
Under the approved arrangement, she will receive an amount equivalent to her late husband’s last-drawn salary for seven years, along with applicable Dearness Allowance (DA) and Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA). She will also receive House Rent Allowance (HRA) for two years.
The assistance will run from October 8, 2025, to October 7, 2032, according to the order issued by Haryana Director General of Police Ajay Singhal on November 4, 2026, following approval from the state government.
The order also provides that the assistance will cease if the recipient dies or remarries. Any family pension already received will be adjusted against the assistance, as reported by ThePrint. The family can also retain government accommodation, if already occupied, for two years by paying the normal licence fee, instead of drawing HRA.
The state government’s approval came in late October, after Amneet P. Kumar submitted a representation seeking withdrawal of her daughter’s appointment claim and financial assistance instead. She also sought a review of her husband’s terminal benefits.
According to The Indian Express, she had written to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on September 11, 2026, seeking the change. ThePrint also reported the request and the subsequent approval.
The decision has brought attention to Haryana’s 2019 rules, which provide two forms of relief to eligible families of government employees who die while in service: financial assistance for a prescribed period or compassionate appointment for a dependent family member.
Why Did the Family Withdraw the Claim for a Government Job?
The decision is linked to the age-related eligibility condition under the 2019 rules.
Under Rule 7, a family member can seek a compassionate appointment only if the deceased government employee had completed at least five years of regular service and had not attained the age of 52 years at the time of death.
Y. Puran Kumar, a 2001-batch Haryana cadre IPS officer, was 52 years and four months old when he died on October 7, 2025.
Although he had completed the minimum service requirement, his age placed him outside the prescribed eligibility limit for compassionate appointment.
According to media reports, the government had not taken a final decision on his daughter’s appointment file, which was moving between different offices. The family subsequently chose to withdraw the request and seek financial assistance instead.
The request for assistance was approved by the state government in late October 2026, and the DGP issued the formal order on November 4.
What Are Haryana’s Compassionate Financial Assistance or Appointment Rules, 2019?
The Haryana Civil Services (Compassionate Financial Assistance or Appointment) Rules, 2019, were notified on August 2, 2019, under Article 309 of the Constitution. They came into effect from August 1, 2019.
The objective is to provide financial relief to the family of a government employee who dies or disappears while in service, helping it cope with the sudden loss of its earning member.
The rules provide two alternatives:
- Compassionate financial assistance: Monthly financial support to eligible family members for a prescribed period.
- Compassionate appointment: Government employment for an eligible dependent family member, subject to the prescribed conditions and availability of a suitable vacancy.
The provisions apply to eligible family members of regular Haryana Government employees and All India Services officers who die or disappear while in service.
Importantly, Rule 3 explicitly includes death by suicide. This means that the family of an employee who dies by suicide is not automatically excluded from claiming benefits under the rules.
For All India Services officers, including IAS and IPS officers, the rules provide an additional option. Their eligible family members can choose between the Haryana Government’s 2019 rules and the applicable Central Government rules or policy for All India Services officers.
How Long Can a Family Receive Financial Assistance?
Under Rule 6, the duration of compassionate financial assistance depends on the age of the deceased employee at the time of death.
The assistance begins from the day following the employee’s death.
Age at the time of death Duration of assistance
- Below 35 years 15 years
- 35 years to below 48 years 12 years
- 48 years and above 7 years
However, there is an important condition. For employees in the second and third categories, assistance is available for the prescribed period or until the employee’s notional date of superannuation or attainment of 60 years of age, whichever is earlier, subject to the applicable provisions.
After the prescribed period of compassionate financial assistance ends, family pension under the Haryana Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2016, becomes admissible wherever applicable.
Since Y. Puran Kumar was above 48 years of age when he died, his family falls under the seven-year assistance category.
How is the monthly financial assistance calculated?
Rule 21 explains how the amount of compassionate financial assistance is determined.
In cases where an employee dies while on duty, the assistance is calculated on the basis of the last-drawn basic pay, including special pay in lieu of a higher time scale. Advance or additional increments that have not been merged into basic pay are excluded.
The eligible family can also receive certain compensatory allowances, including:
Dearness Allowance (DA): At the rate prescribed by the government from time to time.
Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA): At the applicable rate, if opted.
Children Education Allowance: Subject to the eligibility conditions under the rules.
House Rent Allowance (HRA): For two years, at the lower of the rate drawn immediately before death or the rate admissible at the station from where assistance is being drawn.
Alternatively, the family can retain government accommodation, if already occupied, for two years by paying the normal licence fee.
The rules also clarify that annual increments are not granted on compassionate financial assistance. However, any pay refixation that was admissible to the deceased employee before death can be taken into account.
What is the One-Time Ex-Gratia Grant?
Apart from monthly financial assistance or compassionate appointments, Rule 16 provides for a separate lump-sum ex-gratia grant.
Eligible family members are entitled to a one-time payment of ₹1 lakh, or the amount specified by the government from time to time, to meet immediate expenses following the death of the earning member.
The amount is required to be paid within 15 days of the employee’s death.
The Head of Department concerned is the competent authority to sanction this grant.
This is separate from the monthly compassionate financial assistance and other service-related dues payable to the family.
What Other Benefits Can the Family Claim?
Apart from compassionate financial assistance, the family of a deceased government employee may also be entitled to terminal benefits arising from the employee’s service.
Depending on the employee’s service conditions and applicable pension scheme, these may include:
- Gratuity: The retirement/death gratuity admissible under the applicable service rules.
- General Provident Fund (GPF) or National Pension System (NPS): The employee’s accumulated contributions and other admissible benefits.
- Leave encashment: Payment for eligible unutilised earned leave.
- Group insurance: Benefits payable under the applicable group insurance scheme.
- Outstanding salary and dues: Salary arrears and other admissible payments up to the date of death.
These are distinct from compassionate financial assistance. The family’s entitlement to each depends on the applicable service and pension rules.
Can a Government Employee’s Spouse Receive Financial Assistance?
Yes. The 2019 rules specifically address cases where the surviving spouse is also employed in government service or receives a pension.
Under Rule 22, compassionate financial assistance remains admissible to an eligible family member even if:
- Both husband and wife are employed in Haryana Government departments or organisations.
- The surviving spouse is employed by another government.
- The surviving spouse is receiving a pension from Haryana or another government.
Therefore, Amneet P Kumar’s position as a serving IAS officer does not, by itself, disqualify her from receiving compassionate financial assistance following her husband’s death.
The other eligibility conditions under the rules continue to apply.
What Happens if the Recipient Dies or Remarries?
The rules define the eligible family members and prescribe conditions for continuing financial assistance.
A widow or widower is eligible only until death or remarriage, whichever occurs earlier. If the surviving spouse dies or becomes ineligible before the prescribed assistance period ends, the next eligible family member may receive the remaining assistance, subject to the rules.
The order issued in Y. Puran Kumar’s case also specifies that the assistance will cease if the recipient dies or remarries.
Thus, the benefit is not an unconditional lifetime payment. It is governed by the eligibility and continuation provisions of the scheme.
Can Families Choose Between Financial Assistance and a Government Job?
Yes. The rules provide both alternatives, but compassionate appointments are subject to stricter eligibility conditions.
Under Rule 7, the deceased employee must:
- Have completed at least five years of regular service.
- Have died before attaining 52 years of age.
The appointment is restricted to Group C and Group D posts. The applicant must fulfil the required educational and other eligibility conditions, and a suitable vacancy must be available.
The post offered is generally required to be at least one functional pay level below the level of the post held by the deceased employee, subject to the specific provisions of the rules.
An application for compassionate appointment must generally be submitted within six months of the employee’s death.
Importantly, compassionate appointment is not an automatic right. It is an exceptional provision intended to help a family facing financial distress.
The two options serve different purposes: financial assistance provides a regular income for a prescribed period, while compassionate appointment offers eligible dependants an opportunity to enter government service.
The Y. Puran Kumar Case: What Happened?
The financial assistance approved for Y. Puran Kumar’s family follows a case that brought allegations of caste-based discrimination and harassment within the Haryana Police into focus.
Puran Kumar, a 2001-batch Haryana cadre IPS officer, was serving as IG at the Police Training Centre, Sunaria, Rohtak, when he was found dead at his official residence in Chandigarh on October 7, 2025.
Police recovered an eight-page note in which he named 14 serving and retired officials, including then DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur and Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya. He alleged prolonged caste-based discrimination, harassment, administrative humiliation and character assassination.
His wife, IAS officer Amneet P Kumar, also lodged a complaint alleging caste-based harassment and humiliation and sought action against the officials named in the note.
FIR and SIT Investigation
On October 10, 2025, Chandigarh Police formed a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by IG Pushpendra Kumar, to investigate the death.
An FIR was registered, including provisions relating to abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The family initially withheld consent for the post-mortem, demanding action against the officials named in the note. The post-mortem was conducted at PGIMER, Chandigarh, on October 15, with Amneet P Kumar’s consent. The officer was cremated the same day with full state honours.
The Haryana Government sent then DGP Kapur on leave and transferred Rohtak SP Bijarniya. Kapur was subsequently removed as DGP.
The Sandeep Lathar Death
The controversy widened on October 14, 2025, when ASI Sandeep Kumar Lathar, 41, of the Rohtak Cyber Cell, died by suicide in his village, Ladhot. He left behind a note and a video alleging corruption by Puran Kumar.
The development was linked to the arrest of Head Constable Sushil Kumar, Puran Kumar’s gunman, on October 6. Sushil had been arrested following a complaint that he demanded ₹2.5 lakh from a liquor contractor in exchange for protection from alleged harassment by local criminals. Amneet P Kumar later described the FIR against Sushil as an immediate trigger for her husband’s death.
After Lathar’s death, his wife, Santosh Kumari, filed a complaint. On October 15, Rohtak Police registered an FIR alleging abetment of suicide and criminal conspiracy, naming Amneet P. Kumar, her brother; Punjab legislator Amit Rattan; Sushil Kumar; and another police personnel. These allegations formed another part of the wider controversy surrounding the two deaths.
What Happened to the Lathar Family?
On January 1, 2026, the Haryana Cabinet approved a government job for Lathar’s wife, Santosh Kumari. She subsequently joined as a teacher at the Campus School of Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had earlier assured the family of employment assistance and support for the children’s education.
The two families eventually received different forms of support: the Lathar family opted for compassionate appointment, while Puran Kumar’s family chose financial assistance under Haryana’s 2019 rules.
Where Does the Investigation Stand?
According to ThePrint’s November 10, 2026, report, the investigation into Puran Kumar’s death was still ongoing, with the SIT questioning officials named in his final note, including former DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur.
The approval of financial assistance addresses the family’s service-related benefits. It does not settle the allegations in the final note or conclude the criminal investigation.
