The Himachal Pradesh Police have suspended Inspector Vijay Kumar, the in-charge and lead artiste of its renowned orchestra “Harmony of the Pines”, for allegedly earning income through social media platforms by monetising his content. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against the officer by Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Tewari.

The inquiry will be conducted by a DSP-rank officer, who has been directed to submit a report within three months.

According to reports, Inspector Kumar, who heads the popular police orchestra, was earning around Rs 6,000 through his social media accounts, allegedly in violation of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules.

Established in 1996, “Harmony of the Pines” gained nationwide recognition after participating in the reality television show “Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan” in 2022, where it emerged as a finalist. Since then, the orchestra has performed at several national and international events and has remained a major attraction at state-level functions.

Over the years, Kumar built a substantial following on social media, with more than 1.8 lakh followers on Instagram and around 59,000 on Facebook. He regularly shared photographs and videos on his platforms.

The action comes a year after the state police issued guidelines restricting personnel from posting reels, photographs, videos or other entertainment-oriented content on social media for self-promotion, or from expressing religious, social, political or personal views while in uniform.

The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), issued by the DGP, stated that the restrictions were aimed at preserving the dignity, discipline and institutional decorum associated with the police uniform. Under the SOPs, personnel were prohibited from uploading content that had no direct connection with their official duties or departmental work.

The guidelines further stated that any violation would be treated as gross misconduct and could invite disciplinary action, including a departmental inquiry, withholding of increments, demotion, suspension or dismissal from service.