Andhra Pradesh Suspends IPS Officer for Unauthorized Foreign Travel

Amaravati, March 2 (NationPress) The government of Andhra Pradesh has taken the significant step of suspending senior IPS officer P.V. Sunil Kumar due to his repeated foreign travels without obtaining the necessary prior permissions.

On Sunday, Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand issued the suspension orders, citing violations of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules.

Sunil Kumar, a member of the 1993 batch of IPS officers, currently holds the position of Director General of Police and is awaiting further assignment.

Previously, he served as the Director General of the AP State Disaster Response Force and Fire Services before his transfer in June of last year, shortly after the TDP-led coalition government assumed power.

He was among several IPS officers reassigned by the new administration amid allegations that they had targeted TDP leaders during the tenure of the YSR Congress Party.

Notably, Sunil Kumar was the chief of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) when then TDP President and current Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu faced corruption allegations.

The government order issued on Sunday highlighted multiple instances of unauthorized foreign travel by Sunil Kumar. In March last year, although permission was granted for a trip to Georgia, he instead traveled to the United Arab Emirates without authorization.

According to the government order, Sunil Kumar has undertaken six overseas trips in recent years without following official protocols. Most recently, in September 2023, he traveled to Sweden without prior government approval. Earlier, in February 2023, he spent a month in the United States without permission.

Additionally, he traveled to the UAE in December 2022 despite only being authorized to visit Georgia, and he also made an unauthorized trip to the UAE in October 2021. His travel to the UK from December 2019 to January 2020 was unauthorized as he was only approved to visit the US.

The government order emphasizes that IPS officers must secure prior approval for all foreign travels to ensure accountability, compliance with security protocols, and adherence to command structure, thereby addressing security issues and avoiding potential conflicts of interest.

The government determined that there was sufficient prima facie evidence indicating that Sunil Kumar exhibited a willful disregard for established regulations. His actions demonstrate gross negligence, indiscipline, and serious misconduct.

As per the suspension directive, Sunil Kumar is suspended effective immediately, pending a comprehensive inquiry. His designated headquarters during this suspension will be in Vijayawada, and he is prohibited from leaving the city without prior government authorization.

Earlier this January, the state government initiated an inquiry into allegations against Sunil Kumar. R.P. Sisodia, Special Chief Secretary of Revenue, was appointed as the Inquiring Authority, with Harish Kumar Gupta, the Director General of Vigilance and Enforcement, serving as the Presiding Officer.

Sunil Kumar was also accused in July of last year regarding the alleged custodial torture of then Member of Parliament K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, who is currently the Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

Raju was reportedly arrested and tortured while in police custody in 2021 during the rule of the YSR Congress Party.

Following the TDP-led coalition's return to power, police filed an attempt to murder case against then Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, then CID chief Sunil Kumar, then Intelligence chief Seetharamanjaneyulu, additional SP R. Vijaya Paul, and others based on a complaint by Raju.