Shimla, July 14 -- The Himachal Pradesh Police on Monday suspended inspector Vijay Kumar, the face and lead of the state's acclaimed 'Harmony of the Pines' orchestra. A departmental inquiry has been initiated into allegations that Vijay Kumar bypassed service conduct rules by secretly pocketing unauthorised revenue from personal music albums and monetised content across social media platforms, including Rs.6,000 a month via Facebook. Deputy superintendent of police (police lines) Kamal Kishore heads the probe into the allegations and has been directed to submit his findings within three months. While the police top brass has not officially disclosed the legal grounds for the suspension, highly placed sources confirmed the action stems directly from the unapproved monetisation of digital content. Prior to the disciplinary action, DGP Atul Verma's office issued a show-cause notice to Vijay Kumar, demanding a full account of his private musical ventures, their digital publication and promotion, and whether he ever obtained mandatory departmental clearance. Kumar submitted a written response on July 3. However, authorities said his response was unsatisfactory, devoid of merit, and unsupported by documentary evidence. The inquiry will now scrutinize the missing clearances and hidden income streams to determine the exact extent of his service rule violations. The controversy rocks a cultural institution that has served as a point of pride for Himachal Pradesh since its inception in 1996. Originally formed simply to help police personnel cope with the stress of field duty, the 30-member orchestra rose to national prominence in 2022 after securing third place on the television talent show, Hunarbaaz. That milestone earned the orchestra nationwide acclaim, heavy institutional backing, and consecutive international tours spanning France, Italy, Canada, Singapore, and Dubai. All official revenue generated by these high-profile appearances is legally mandated to be deposited straight into the Police Welfare Fund. The band received personal encouragement and fast-tracked global opportunities under former DGP Sanjay Kundu, which is why the sudden suspension of its frontman has led to shockwaves through police circles. Kumar has 59,000 personal Facebook followers alongside the orchestra's 89,000-strong official page. While the orchestra was previously nurtured to build the police department's public image, the present leadership's stance reflects a strict return to procedural discipline. The leaderships emphasises that no officer-regardless of public profile or artistic merit-is exempt from standard government service conduct parameters. The policy baseline for this crackdown was established on December 9, 2025, when the police department issued a strict standard operating procedure (SOP) banning personnel from creating reels and videos while wearing the police uniform. That mandate targeted content that compromises the dignity of the uniform, institutional decorum, or strict service discipline. Vijay Kumar recently released a bhajan video where he used his personal digital footprint to appear as both the actor and singer while holding his official post. By using his institutional visibility to generate private commercial gain, his activities defied the SOP, prompting the crackdown....