By Desaraju Surya
AMARAVATI: On the face of it, the suspension of 1993-batch Indian Police Service officer P V Sunil Kumar appears to be a case of unauthorised foreign travel but it actually exposes the widespread malignancy that had afflicted the administration during Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure.
Right from the top, utter disregard – and in many cases gross contempt – for laws and rules remained the order of the day during the previous regime.
The case of Sunil Kumar holds mirror to this.
On Sunday, the Chandrababu Naidu government placed Sunil Kumar – a DGP-rank officer who has been kept without a posting since June last – under suspension for exhibiting “gross negligence, indiscipline, and grave misconduct by undertaking foreign travel without obtaining requisite permission, thereby violating applicable rules and regulations.”
Importantly, the government categorically state that “such unauthorised travel to foreign countries is against the interest of national security.”
The government, in an order issued by Chief Secretary K Vijayanand, noted that “there is sufficient prima facie evidence indicating that the officer has repeatedly demonstrated wilful disregard for established practices. Consequently, disciplinary proceedings are contemplated for such repeated acts of grave misconduct.”
A detailed inquiry into the allegations against Sunil Kumar is now pending.
Sunil Kumar served as chief of Crime Investigation Department during Jagan’s tenure but was removed from the post following allegations of financial irregularities (which, though, were never on record). He was kept without a posting for 45 days and subsequently made DG of Fire Services.
Upon returning to power in June 2024, the Chandrababu government promptly shunted out Sunil from the post and kept him on wait.
In the suspension order, the government listed six cases wherein the officer visited several foreign countries at different times.
In three of the six cases, he had not even obtained mandatory permission from the government.
In one case, though a proper GO was issued enabling his foreign trip, Sunil Kumar deviated from the actual permission granted and visited a second country as well.
In two instances, he went abroad merely on ‘memos’ issued by the government, rather than the mandatory Government Orders, which was a clear breach of rules.
Apart from the six instances listed in the suspension GO, Sunil undertook five more trips to at least three countries between August 2019 and January 2024.
In August 2019, he visited China for eight days; in December 2021, he visited the USA for 24 days (till January 5, 2022). He went to the USA again in June-July 2022 for 24 days; to Georgia in October 2022 for nine days and again to the US for 14 days in December 2023 and January 2024.
Among the six trips the government mentioned in the suspension order, one in February 2023 to the USA was undertaken when Sunil was without any posting under the Jagan regime.
Technically, he was reporting to the Chief Secretary at that time as he was asked to report to the General Administration Department upon his removal from the CID.
It’s here that the role of the then Chief Secretary K S Jawahar Reddy comes into question.
Did the then CS have no knowledge on the whereabouts of an IPS officer reporting to him, when he went to USA for exactly a month? Clearly, this trip was carried out without proper permission or authorisation.
In the three instances where Sunil was said to have gone abroad (to Sweden, USA and UAE) without permission, there was apparently no leave record either.
The possible culpability of the two former DsGP (HoPF) might also come under scrutiny.
The government is now probing all these aspects.