Haryana: Former deputy jailor booked for graft dies by suicide

CHANDIGARH/GURUGRAM: Former Narnaul jail deputy superintendent Kuldeep Hooda, who had been booked on charges of corruption and extortion, died in hospital on Thursday evening, hours after he allegedly consumed poison. Hooda took the extreme step within hours of the Punjab and Haryana high court rejecting his application for anticipatory bail. His senior, Anil Kumar, the jail superintendent, continues to be on the run.
Police said Hooda was at the house of his sister-in-law in Gurugram for the last two days.He was rushed to the hospital, where he died around 6.30pm. DIG vigilance, Gurugram, Kuldeep Yadav said police teams had been on the lookout for both Kumar and Hooda since December. “As we have the warrant for Anil Kumar’s arrest, we will start the proceedings to get him declared as proclaimed offender,” he said.
Hooda’s family on Friday filed a complaint against senior officials of Haryana Police and the vigilance department, alleging it were the Narnaul jail superintendent and few wardens who were caught red-handed by the vigilance sleuths accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh on December 9 last year but a corruption case was filed against Hooda too, who was on leave then.
While Hooda was booked in the corruption case the same day, an FIR for extortion was also filed against him in Narnaul on January 11 this year. He was subsequently placed under suspension. Investigations in both the cases are on. Hooda, who was in his mid-40s, joined Haryana Jail Services in 2008 and served at Hisar, Sonipat and Narnaul prisons during his 14 years of service.
While two jail wardens — Rajan and Gaje Singh — were arrested in connection with accepting a Rs 1 lakh bribe for the release of gangster Vikram alias Papla Gujjar in Narnaul jail, Hooda and Kumar remained absconding.
Hooda’s brother Mukesh, a teacher at a government school, said, “He was suffering from depression for the past two months. He was forced to take the extreme step as he was being harassed by senior police officials since he had differences with them over the relocation of dreaded criminal Papla Gujjar to Bhondsi jail from Narnaul. Instead of making the Narnaul jail superintendent an accused in the case, my brother, who was on leave at the time (December 2 to 12 last year), was named in the FIR.”
Hooda’s brother-in-law Amit Kumar added, “We have audio recordings to prove that a call was made from the jail for the Rs 1 lakh bribe on December 8 and the raid was conducted a day later. Kuldeep was then on leave as his uncle had passed away.”
Though his wife Neelam filed the complaint against officials of Haryana Police and the vigilance department, no FIR was filed. Police handed over the body after an autopsy. “Nobody is ready to take our complaint and register an FIR,” said Mukesh.