In the complex and often turbulent landscape of Indian police service, few figures manage to simultaneously embody intellectual breadth, professional distinction, and deep personal controversy in the way that PV Sunil Kumar has.
A 1993-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, Sunil Kumar rose through three decades of policing to reach the rank of Director General of Police (DGP) one of the highest positions available in a state police hierarchy before becoming one of the most discussed and contested officers in contemporary Andhra Pradesh administrative history.
He is known to those in policing circles as an upright, no-nonsense officer of fierce independence and principle. He is known to readers across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as a Telugu fiction writer with over 50 published short stories to his credit described as the only IPS officer in India writing satire in Telugu.
He is known to Dalit rights advocates as a man who has never flinched from speaking about the discrimination he experienced even as a child born into a privileged, educated family. And since 2021, he has been known to the wider public as Accused Number One (A1) in the controversial and nationally watched custodial torture case involving former MP and current Andhra Pradesh Deputy Speaker K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju a case that has followed him into suspension, SIT questioning, and the full glare of a politically charged Andhra Pradesh media environment.
His biography is not the story of a simple hero or a simple villain. It is the story of a complicated, gifted, driven, and deeply principled officer a man who donated a month’s salary to a public health initiative, who steered a district police force to the first ISO certification in the state, who dreams of spreading Ambedkar’s ideas to the wider public navigating the most difficult and defining period of his career from a position of suspension and legal challenge.
Profile
| Full Name | P V Sunil Kumar |
| IPS Identity Number | 19931071 |
| Date of Birth | June 8, 1966 |
| Age | 59 years old (as of 2026) |
| Home State | Andhra Pradesh |
| Nationality | Indian |
| IPS Batch | 1993 Batch (Direct Recruit UPSC Civil Services) |
| Cadre | Andhra Pradesh |
| Date of Joining IPS | January 9, 1994 |
| Highest Rank Achieved | Director General of Police (DGP) Pay Level 16 |
| Current Status | Under Suspension (since March 5, 2025) |
| Suspension Headquarters | Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh |
| Occupation | IPS Officer (Suspended), Telugu Fiction Writer, Dalit Rights Advocate |
| Religion | Hinduism (Dalit background) |
| Education | M.A., Andhra Pradesh; UGC Lectureship (NET) qualified |
| Police Medals | AUSP-2019, PPMDS-2017, PMMS-2010 |
Early Life
P V Sunil Kumar was born on June 8, 1966, in Andhra Pradesh, into a family that was, by the standards of the time and place, relatively wealthy and well-educated his parents belonged to what he describes as an “officer’s family.”
Despite the material comfort of his upbringing, Sunil Kumar grew up carrying an identity that no amount of affluence could fully insulate: he was born into a Dalit community, and the weight of caste discrimination even in a household of education and means left marks on his childhood and worldview that he has carried, and spoken about frankly, throughout his adult life.
“I have learned that affluence doesn’t matter in the face of caste,” he has said in interviews. This realisation arrived at in childhood and confirmed repeatedly across a life lived at the intersection of academic excellence, professional distinction, and social identity became one of the animating forces of his career and his literary work. His dream, consistently articulated over the years, has been of a casteless society a phrase that appears even in his Facebook page’s public description.
As a child, Sunil Kumar was a voracious and passionate reader. Mark Twain was a particular favourite, and he has recalled living vicariously through the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as a boy. While members of his extended family viewed spending money on books as wasteful, his parents always supported his reading habit without question an investment in his intellectual formation that he has credited with shaping who he became.
He was also deeply athletic from an early age, spending time playing cricket and kabaddi, and bringing to physical pursuits the same focused energy that he brought to books. This combination of intellectual and physical discipline has remained characteristic of him throughout his life and career.
He was also profoundly inspired by the story of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata princes who were forced to live as servants and ultimately triumphed against all odds. The parallel with his own experience as a Dalit child navigating caste-inflected social spaces resonated deeply. “Be happy with whatever you have. Nothing is permanent in life. Good times and bad times are both part of your life. No one can have only happiness. That’s the philosophy that keeps me going,” he has said.
Education
PV Sunil Kumar completed his higher education and holds a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from one of Andhra Pradesh’s universities. His academic excellence extended well beyond his formal degree: he also successfully cleared the UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) for Lectureship, qualifying him to teach at the university level.
He has acknowledged that had he not chosen the IPS, he would have become a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi one of India’s most prestigious and intellectually charged institutions for social sciences.
“I would have been a professor at JNU, as I have passed the UGC lectureship exam. I would also have fought for the civil rights of the oppressed and depressed,” he has said a statement that reveals not just an academic career path foregone, but a social mission that he carried into policing instead.
He chose to appear for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, cleared it, and was allocated to the 1993 batch of the Indian Police Service, Andhra Pradesh cadre. He officially joined the IPS on January 9, 1994. His decision to join the IPS rather than academia reflects a personality that seeks the arena of impact over the world of observation.
Career
Early Postings: Warangal and Tough Districts
PV Sunil Kumar began his IPS career as a probationer in Warangal, one of the most historically significant cities of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
His early years in field policing covered a series of demanding and challenging postings including Pulivendula in Kadapa district, Adilabad, Medak, and Warangal.
These were among the more testing assignments in Andhra Pradesh’s police geography Adilabad borders the Left-wing extremist belt; Pulivendula and Kadapa were politically turbulent territories; and Medak was marked by agricultural distress and social tensions. These early postings gave him a ground-level understanding of crime, community governance, and the daily realities of Indian law enforcement.
Superintendent of Police, Medak First ISO 9001 Certification in AP
One of the landmark achievements of Sunil Kumar’s field career came during his tenure as Superintendent of Police in Medak district. Under his leadership, the Medak District Police Office became the first district police office in Andhra Pradesh to receive the ISO 9001 Certification the internationally recognised standard for quality management systems.
This was an extraordinary achievement in a public sector law enforcement institution, requiring the documentation of processes, identification of service delivery gaps, officer training in process compliance, and measurable improvement in citizen-facing policing outcomes. The achievement earned significant recognition within police administration circles and established Sunil Kumar’s early reputation as a reform-oriented and results-driven officer.
VC and MD, AP State Police Housing Corporation
At a later stage of his career, PV Sunil Kumar served as Vice Chairman and Managing Director (VC & MD) of the Andhra Pradesh State Police Housing Corporation Ltd. overseeing the construction, maintenance, and allocation of housing for police personnel across Andhra Pradesh.
This posting demonstrated the breadth of his administrative capabilities beyond direct operational policing and his ability to manage large institutional responsibilities across different domains within the police service ecosystem.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), CID, Andhra Pradesh
One of the most consequential postings of Sunil Kumar’s career was his appointment as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Crime Investigation Department (CID), Andhra Pradesh, to which he was transferred in September 2019. The CID is the apex investigative body of the Andhra Pradesh Police, responsible for investigating serious crimes, conducting intelligence-led policing, and leading investigations into cases of state-level significance.
His tenure as ADGP CID coincided with the period of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP government (2019–2024) a period of intense political polarisation and the deployment of the CID in politically sensitive matters. It was during this period in May 2021 that the event which would define the most controversial chapter of his career took place: the arrest and alleged custodial torture of Narasapuram MP K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju.
Promotion to Director General of Police (DGP), CID January 1, 2023
On January 1, 2023, PV Sunil Kumar was promoted to the rank of Director General of Police (DGP) and posted as DGP, CID, Andhra Pradesh. The promotion order was issued by AP Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy, elevating him along with two other 1993-batch officers. At Pay Level 16, the DGP rank placed Sunil Kumar in the apex tier of the Andhra Pradesh Police hierarchy a recognition of over 28 years of police service and one of the most senior policing positions in the state.
Transfer and Awaiting Posting 2024
Following the change of government in Andhra Pradesh after the June 2024 Assembly elections in which N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP-led coalition swept to power, ending YSRCP’s tenure Sunil Kumar was transferred in June 2024 and entered a period of awaiting new posting. Officers closely identified with the previous YSRCP administration faced intensified scrutiny in the new political environment.
Suspension March 5, 2025
On March 5, 2025, the Andhra Pradesh government placed PV Sunil Kumar under suspension under Rule 3(1) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969. The suspension order cited two sets of allegations:
The first set involved repeated unauthorised foreign travel. According to the government order, Sunil Kumar made multiple trips to foreign countries without obtaining prior government permission or in violation of approved travel plans, including: a February 2024 trip permitted to Georgia but instead taken to the UAE; a December 2022 trip permitted to Georgia but again diverted to the UAE; a January 2020 trip permitted to the USA but taken to the UK; visits to Sweden (September 2–11, 2023) and the USA (February 1–28, 2023) without any prior permission; and an unauthorised trip to the UAE from October 2–8, 2021.
The government characterised these violations as exhibiting gross negligence, indiscipline, and grave misconduct, and noted that unauthorised foreign travel by an officer with access to sensitive operational information poses serious national security risks.
The second set involved his role as the prime accused (Accused Number One A1) in the ongoing investigation into the alleged custodial torture of Deputy Speaker K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju in 2021. The suspension was intended in part to prevent him from influencing the investigation directed at him.
During the suspension period, his headquarters was fixed at Vijayawada, and he is barred from leaving the city without prior government permission. He is paid a subsistence allowance as per applicable rules.
Sunil Kumar has publicly contested the characterisation of his actions and has argued the custodial torture case represents political vendetta. He was named A1 in the FIR registered in 2024 and appeared before the SIT in Guntur in December 2025 for questioning, initially seeking time citing family health concerns before complying.
The Raghu Ramakrishna Raju Custodial Torture Case
The case that has come to define this phase of PV Sunil Kumar’s career began on May 14, 2021, when K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju then MP from Narasapuram and a rebel within the YSRCP who had turned sharply critical of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh CID in Hyderabad on charges of sedition, for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the Chief Minister and provoking disaffection against the YSRCP government.
Raju, who had been recuperating from cardiac surgery, alleged that after his arrest he was physically assaulted by CID officials, denied his medicines, not produced before a court, forcibly transported to Guntur in the night, and subjected to third-degree torture including beatings with a rubber belt and lathi at the CID office.
He approached the Supreme Court, which directed medical examinations and expressed concern over his treatment. Subsequent medical evaluations reportedly found injuries consistent with custodial assault.
In July 2024, after the change of government, an FIR was registered naming among others then-Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, PV Sunil Kumar (as A1), the then Intelligence Chief, and several other officers in connection with the alleged torture and attempt on Raju’s life. The case has been actively pursued under the TDP-led government, with the AP CID issuing notices to Sunil Kumar and conducting SIT questioning.
Sunil Kumar has stated publicly that the case was “closely monitored by higher courts in India at the time, and nothing came of it,” questioning why an FIR emerged only after the change in government and characterising the prosecution as political vendetta.
He has simultaneously demanded that Deputy Speaker Raju be stripped of his position to ensure a “free and fair” investigation mirroring the suspension imposed on him a demand that has itself attracted public controversy.
Awards & Honours
President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service (PMMS) 2010 One of the highest national honours for a police officer in India, awarded by the President of India for sustained professional excellence and meritorious service.
Police Medal for Distinguished Service (PPMDS) 2017 Awarded by the President of India recognising distinguished service at the Additional Director General level.
Ati Utkrisht Seva Padak (AUSP) 2019 Instituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs for long, unblemished service, professional excellence, devotion to duty, and outstanding policing contributions.
ISO 9001 Certification, Medak District Police The first district police office in Andhra Pradesh to achieve this international quality management standard, under Sunil Kumar’s leadership as SP.
UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) for Lectureship Cleared the national-level test qualifying him to teach at the university level, demonstrating academic excellence in the social sciences beyond his policing career.
Social Media
PV Sunil Kumar maintains an unusually active social media presence for a senior IPS officer, reflecting his frank and candid personality and his belief in direct public communication.
Facebook: He is active on Facebook under the name PV Sunil Kumar, with over 29,200 likes and 6,600 active followers talking about his page. His bio describes him as “Only writer in Telugu who writes satire” and “Casteless society is his dream” a concise expression of his defining identities beyond policing. He uses the platform to share literary work, social commentary, and views on public affairs. His Facebook handle is facebook.com/sunilpv.
Twitter/X: Sunil Kumar is active on Twitter/X, where he has made pointed public statements on political and social matters including commentary on the Raghu Ramakrishna Raju case and demands relating to the ongoing investigation. His willingness to engage publicly on Twitter on matters where he is a party to legal proceedings is reflective of the bluntness and direct communication style that have characterised his entire public life.
Public Platform Usage During Suspension: Unlike most IPS officers of his seniority who maintain media silence during disciplinary proceedings, Sunil Kumar has used social media actively during his suspension commenting on the case, questioning political motivations, and advocating for himself. This approach has simultaneously maintained his public visibility and amplified the controversy surrounding him.
Personal Life
PV Sunil Kumar’s personal life is defined by a rare combination of qualities that set him apart from the standard senior police officer profile: deep literary commitment, physical fitness discipline, eclectic musical taste, wanderlust, and a social identity forged in the experience of Dalit life in modern India.
Fitness Regime
Sunil Kumar is as well known for his athletic capabilities as for his policing record. He wakes between 5 and 6 a.m. daily and engages in tennis, cycling, treadmill, and gym work before 8 a.m. a routine he follows at least four days a week. Two days per week he plays 18 holes of golf, which he describes as involving approximately 10 km of walking and around 13,000 steps per round. He holds firmly to the philosophy: “No pain, no gain.”
Literary Work
Widely recognised as the only IPS officer writing satire in Telugu, Sunil Kumar has published over 50 short stories works animated by the same values of social justice, caste critique, and citizen empathy that have animated his professional life. He began writing fiction long before the end of his active service, finding time for his literary work around the demanding schedule of a senior operational officer reading on Kindle while travelling and writing during available margins. His Facebook bio’s description of him as the “only writer in Telugu who writes satire” reflects the uniqueness of his position in both the IPS and in Telugu literature simultaneously.
Music and Travel
His musical tastes span from AC/DC and Michael Jackson to BTS, Selena Gomez, Charlie Puth, Khalid, Kanye West, and Alan Walker, as well as the Hindi film music of Manna Dey, Rafi Saab, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar depending on his mood. He is afflicted by what he calls “dromomania” a passion for travel and has stated a desire to visit all continents and as many countries as possible, believing travel broadens the mind in ways no book can replicate.
Dalit Identity and Ambedkar’s Legacy
Sunil Kumar has spoken with directness unusual for a senior IPS officer about his Dalit identity, the caste discrimination he experienced in childhood, and his lifelong commitment to the vision of a casteless society. He has cited a desire to take Dr B R Ambedkar’s ideas to the wider public a project he sees as continuous with both his policing career and his literary work.
Act of Generosity
In a personal gesture consistent with his character as a generous officer known for standing by his people, Sunil Kumar donated a full month’s salary to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s initiative to fund free COVID-19 vaccinations across Andhra Pradesh a voluntary financial contribution reflecting his commitment to public welfare.
Net Worth
As an IPS officer who reached the rank of Director General of Police (Pay Level 16 under the 7th Pay Commission), PV Sunil Kumar’s income has been entirely derived from government service over his 32-year career.
At the DGP level, the applicable basic pay falls in the apex scale range of ₹2.05 lakh to ₹2.24 lakh per month, with government perquisites including official accommodation (when in active posting), travel allowances, and medical benefits.
During his current period of suspension, he receives a subsistence allowance as per applicable rules typically a fraction of full pay.
His net worth, accumulated entirely through government service, is estimated in the range of ₹2 crore to ₹5 crore, consistent with a career IPS officer of his seniority. He has no known private business interests, and his assets are subject to the mandatory annual declarations required of all All India Service officers under government conduct rules.
FAQs
Who is PV Sunil Kumar IPS?
PV Sunil Kumar is a 1993-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre who rose to the rank of Director General of Police. He is known as a tough and principled police officer, a Telugu satire writer with over 50 published stories, a Dalit rights advocate, and as Accused Number One (A1) in the 2021 custodial torture case involving former MP K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju. He has been under suspension since March 5, 2025.
What is PV Sunil Kumar’s batch and cadre?
PV Sunil Kumar is a 1993-batch IPS officer allocated to the Andhra Pradesh cadre, who joined the IPS on January 9, 1994. His IPS identity number is 19931071.
Why was PV Sunil Kumar suspended?
The Andhra Pradesh government suspended PV Sunil Kumar on March 5, 2025, citing repeated unauthorised foreign travel without prior government permission including trips to the UAE, Sweden, the United States, and the United Kingdom as well as his position as prime accused in the ongoing inquiry into the 2021 alleged custodial torture of then-MP K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju.
What is the Raghu Ramakrishna Raju custodial torture case?
The case relates to the arrest of Narasapuram MP K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju on May 14, 2021, by the AP CID. Raju alleged he was physically assaulted in custody, denied medical care for a heart condition, and subjected to third-degree torture at the Guntur CID office. PV Sunil Kumar, as ADGP CID at the time, was named Accused Number One in an FIR registered in 2024 after the change of government. Medical reports were said to show injuries consistent with custodial assault. Sunil Kumar disputes the allegations as political vendetta.
What is PV Sunil Kumar known for as a writer?
PV Sunil Kumar is described as the only IPS officer writing satire in Telugu. He has over 50 published short stories addressing themes of caste, social justice, and public life. His dream of a casteless society is a central theme of both his fiction and his public advocacy.
What police medals has PV Sunil Kumar received?
He has received three presidential and ministerial honours: President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service (PMMS-2010), Police Medal for Distinguished Service (PPMDS-2017), and Ati Utkrisht Seva Padak (AUSP-2019) all awarded for professional excellence and outstanding contributions to policing.
What was his achievement at Medak district?
As Superintendent of Police in Medak, PV Sunil Kumar led the district police office to become the first in Andhra Pradesh to receive ISO 9001 Certification the international quality management standard a landmark in the state’s policing history.
Is PV Sunil Kumar a Dalit officer?
Yes. PV Sunil Kumar was born into a Dalit community in Andhra Pradesh. Despite a relatively wealthy and educated family background, he has spoken candidly about experiencing caste discrimination as a child. His commitment to a casteless society and propagating Ambedkar’s ideas are defining elements of his personal philosophy and literary work.
What would PV Sunil Kumar have done if not the IPS?
He has stated he would have become a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), having qualified the UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) for Lectureship, and would have fought for the civil rights of the oppressed and depressed.
What sports does PV Sunil Kumar play?
He maintains a disciplined fitness routine including tennis, cycling, gym work, and 18-hole golf twice a week involving around 10 km of walking per round. As a child he played cricket and kabaddi. He wakes between 5 and 6 a.m. daily and completes his fitness session before 8 a.m.
Conclusion
PV Sunil Kumar’s biography resists the simple categories most comfortable in public discourse. He is not purely a hero, despite a career decorated with three presidential police medals, landmark institutional achievements, and a reputation for personal integrity and principled non-conformism.
He is not purely a villain, despite being the prime accused in a serious custodial torture case that, if proven, represents a severe violation of fundamental rights. He is not merely a “controversial IPS officer” a phrase that flattens into irrelevance a man who has published 50 works of Telugu satire, donated his salary to public health, advocated for Ambedkar’s vision of a casteless society, built a district police force to ISO standards, and held firmly to an identity as a Dalit officer in a system that has not always made such identity comfortable.
What PV Sunil Kumar is, above all, is a complete and complicated human being who chose one of India’s most demanding professions, navigated it for over three decades with considerable distinction, and now faces the most serious professional and legal challenges of his life at the very end of that career.
Whether the investigation ultimately confirms or exonerates the allegations against him, the record of his service his medals, his initiatives, his literary output, his Dalit rights advocacy, his frankness will not be erased.
His story is ultimately a window into the tensions and contradictions at the heart of Indian policing itself: between institutional loyalty and individual conscience, between the exercise of state power and the protection of fundamental rights, and between a career of genuine service and the political pressures that can weaponise or distort that service. Understanding PV Sunil Kumar means understanding something essential and uncomfortable about the system within which he served and continues to fight.
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