Inspector who heads Himachal Police’s orchestra suspended ‘for earning Rs 6,000’ through social media

3 min readJul 13, 2026 10:14 PM IST

The action against Kumar came after the department found that a written reply he had submitted on July 3 in reply to a show cause notice did not address the allegations against him.

The Himachal Pradesh Police has suspended Inspector Vijay Kumar, the lead singer and the head of the acclaimed police orchestra ‘Harmony of the Pines’ over allegations that he monetised his musical content and earned Rs 6,000 from social media without informing the authorities. DGP Ashok Tewari also ordered a department inquiry into the matter, an official said.

Based on an order issued by the Commandant, 1st Himachal Pradesh Armed Police Battalion, Junga, the inquiry has been handed over to DSP Kamal Kishore, who has been directed to submit a report within three months, the official said.

It has been alleged that Kumar allegedly earned around Rs 6,000 from social media posts in violation of the service rules. While the official handle of the Harmony of the Pines has 3.29 lakh followers on Instagram, Kumar has 1.64 lakh.

The action against Kumar came after the department found that a written reply he had submitted on July 3 in reply to a show cause notice did not address the allegations against him. The reply was also silent on any documentary proof of him taking prior permission from the competent authority for monetising the musical content.

He had been asked to submit departmental permission, if any, for producing, publishing and promoting his private music albums on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms and income generated from such activities.

The Commandant forwarded Kumar’s reply to the DGP who found that the Inspector’s conduct was prima facie in violation of Rule 14.33 of the Punjab Police Rules and Sections 86 and 87 of the Himachal Pradesh Police Act, 2007.

The DGP held that while his act was in contravention of the provisions governing the conduct and discipline of police personnel and amounted to misconduct and indiscipline, thereby warranting a detailed departmental inquiry.

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As per the suspension order, Kumar will remain headquartered at the 1st HPAP Battalion, Junga, during the suspension period.

Kumar had emerged as the leading face of Harmony of the Pines, which was established in 1996. The band hit national headlines in 2022 after it secured the third place in reality TV show ‘Hunarbaaz-Desh Ki Shaan in 2022.

Speaking about the orchestra, Kumar had earlier told the Indian Express that “because of the support we have got from our department, we have been able to cultivate talent”.

The orchestra and has in the past past performed in France, Italy, Canada, Singapore and Dubai. It charges nearly Rs 1 lakh for performances within the state and Rs 1.5 lakh outside. For performances abroad, they charge Rs 2 lakh, an officer had earlier told the Indian Express, adding that the money goes directly into the purchase of instruments, maintenance and other management expenses apart from the Police Welfare Fund.

With PTI Inputs