A major controversy has erupted in Himachal Pradesh after PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh’s Facebook post targeting IAS and IPS officers from UP and Bihar drew sharp reactions from both bureaucratic associations and a cabinet colleague. The Indian Police Services Association (HP) and HP IAS Officers’ Association have issued strongly-worded resolutions condemning the minister’s statement, while Rural Development Minister Aniruddh Singh called it “unfortunate.”
The controversy began on January 12 when Vikramaditya Singh posted on Facebook alleging that some IAS/IPS officers from UP-Bihar posted in Himachal were raising issues with the Chief Minister instead of serving the state’s interests. The post stated that outsider officers should respect Himachal’s officials and warned them to serve the people of Himachal rather than act as advisors.
The IPS Association Himachal Pradesh, in its meeting held on January 14, 2025, unanimously passed Resolution No. 01/2026 expressing “deep anguish and serious concern” over the minister’s public statement. The association stated that the statement “tends to create an artificial and undesirable divide between Himachali and non-Himachali officers serving in the State.”
The IPS Association placed on record that All India Services are a constitutional institution created to strengthen national unity and provide impartial, professional and integrated administration across the country. The resolution stated that “Officers of the IPS, irrespective of their cadre origin or place of birth, serve the people of Himachal Pradesh with equal commitment, integrity and devotion.”
The association termed the minister’s statement as “factually incorrect” and “highly demoralising, divisive and detrimental to the harmonious working of the administration.” It warned that such statements have the potential to damage the morale of the police service, create distrust within the HP police machinery, weaken institutional cohesion, and adversely affect public governance and service delivery.
The IPS Association strongly condemned “any narrative which seeks to divide IPS officers on regional or parochial lines” and reiterated that the IPS functions as one united, professional and apolitical service committed solely to the Constitution and the people of Himachal Pradesh.
The association made three specific demands from the government: take serious note of the issue and not post any IPS officer with Minister Vikramaditya Singh, ensure that such statements are not repeated in future, and uphold the dignity, unity and neutrality of the civil services. The association reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to serve the state of Himachal Pradesh and its people with full dedication, integrity and constitutional loyalty.
The HP IAS Officers’ Association also issued a public statement (No. 01/2026) dated January 14, 2026, noting with “deep concern” the recent public remarks made by the serving cabinet minister. The statement said that while the association fully respects the prerogative of elected representatives to hold opinions and ensure accountability in governance, “it is constrained to point out that public statements singling out officers on the basis of their State of origin are inappropriate and risk causing avoidable harm to the morale and neutrality of the civil services.”
The IAS Association emphasized that officers serving in Himachal Pradesh, whether native to the state or allotted from other states, are members of the constitutionally created All India Services. Their foremost duty is to serve the people impartially, faithfully implement the policies of the elected government, and uphold the rule of law. The statement noted that postings and cadre allocations of All India Services officers are made through established constitutional and statutory mechanisms, with the involvement of the central government, and are not a matter of personal choice.
The IAS Association stated that public remarks attributing administrative shortcomings to the regional origin of officers undermine the foundational spirit of the All India Services, which was envisaged to promote national unity, administrative impartiality, and cooperative federalism. Such generalizations can inadvertently erode public confidence in institutions and adversely affect the effective functioning of the administration, which ultimately impacts service delivery to citizens.
The association respectfully urged the state government to take appropriate steps to safeguard the dignity, morale, and neutrality of officers serving in the state. It requested that guidance be issued at the highest level to ensure that public discourse remains focused on policies and outcomes, rather than on the personal or regional backgrounds of officers discharging their constitutional responsibilities.
Adding to the minister’s troubles, his cabinet colleague Aniruddh Singh, the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister, publicly criticized Vikramaditya Singh’s statement. Aniruddh Singh termed the statement “unfortunate” and said that ministers should know how to get their work done from officers rather than hiding their own mistakes by blaming bureaucrats. He stated that it is wrong to target officers to cover up one’s own failures and that one should learn to work with the administrative machinery.
The controversy has exposed both a rift within the Congress cabinet and a united front by the bureaucracy against what they perceive as an attack on the constitutional framework of All India Services. Political observers note that the IPS Association’s specific demand that no officer be posted with Vikramaditya Singh is unprecedented and reflects the depth of resentment within the bureaucratic fraternity.
The issue has also raised questions about the functioning of the Sukhu government, with the opposition likely to target the government over internal contradictions where ministers are publicly at odds with each other and the entire bureaucratic machinery has issued resolutions against a sitting cabinet minister.
As of now, neither Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu nor PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh has issued any statement responding to the resolutions passed by the IAS and IPS associations or the criticism from cabinet colleague Aniruddh Singh. The Chief Minister’s silence is being interpreted as an attempt to avoid further escalation while allowing the matter to cool down.
However, with both major bureaucratic associations having formally put on record their objections and made specific demands including the extraordinary request that no officer be posted with the minister, the issue is unlikely to die down quickly. The government will be under pressure to issue some clarification or take action to restore the morale and confidence of the civil services.
The controversy also highlights the delicate balance required in maintaining harmonious relations between the political executive and the permanent civil service, a balance that appears to have been disturbed by the minister’s Facebook post targeting officers based on their state of origin.
