Varinder Kumar removed as Punjab vigilance bureau chief
People in the know of the matter said Kumar’s removal comes in the wake of several high-profile cases, including those against former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and the PSIEC scam, falling flat in the high court. AAP leaders, meanwhile, maintained that it was a routine transfer.
The Punjab government on Monday removed special DGP Varinder Kumar from the post of vigilance bureau (VB) chief, appointing 1995-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer G Nageswara Rao in his place.
People in the know of the matter said Kumar’s removal comes in the wake of several high-profile cases, including those against former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and the PSIEC scam, falling flat in the high court. AAP leaders, meanwhile, maintained that it was a routine transfer.
As per the department of home affairs’ notification, Kumar will now be reporting to Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav for further duties.
The 1993-batch officer, who had led the VB since June 2022, was once considered close to chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. Some claim that the VB’s action of collecting evidence against a minister over a “party funds collection” may have ruffled some feathers, which led to Kumar’s removal.
The Opposition parties had been demanding CBI probe into the matter.
Varinder was also in the line of fire from the bureaucracy as they were repeatedly opposing the VB action in many cases in which top bureaucrats were involved. Even in 2023, PCS officers had gone on strike, but the CM put his foot down. It has been learnt that the bureaucracy had been subtly demanding a change of guard in the VB.
During two years of his tenure, Kumar’s biggest achievement was bringing back ₹100 crore into state treasury by taking action in the gauva orchard compensation scam.
The new vigilance chief, G Nageswara Rao, has served in various positions, including special principal secretary, department of home affairs and justice, Punjab, director of vigilance bureau, Punjab, and DIG/HoB, CBI, ACB, Visakhapatnam, and DIG/HoB, CBI, ACB, Chennai.
He was awarded the United Nations medal for his service as a CIVPOL (civilian police programme) officer in the United Nations Mission in Kosovo in 2004. He also received the police medal for meritorious service in 2011 during his deputation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2023.
He has been relieved from the post of additional director general of police, provisioning, Punjab.