Hyderabad,  Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer R.S. Praveen Kumar on Monday denied that he is extending support to any candidate in the ensuing by-election to Huzurabad Assembly constituency in Telangana.

He appealed to people not to believe the fake news that he is supporting somebody in Huzurabad.

Praveen Kumar, who recently took voluntary retirement from service, tweeted that his support will always be for education, health and employment. He said the money being distributed among voters in Huzurabad should be used for these purposes.

Stating that he is just settling down after taking retirement, he requested all not to drag him into controversies.

In a surprising move, the 1995 IPS batch officer last week applied for voluntary retirement from service. The Telangana government accepted his request.

The officer, who still had six years of service left, said it was not easy to arrive at this life-changing decision, given his humble beginnings and the arduous journey to become an IPS officer.

"I shall use the rest of my life to fulfill the unfinished dreams of doyens of social justice, Mahatma Phule, Babasaheb Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Manyawar Shri Kanshiram, and many more torchbearers of our country. I sincerely pray to you all to bless and guide me as I start this new phase of my journey," he had said in his message while announcing his decision.

Praveen Kumar's move triggered speculations that he may be entering politics. However, asked about this, he said: "I don't have any other agenda except serving the poor and disadvantaged communities. I will not leave the way shown by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram, and Kumram Bheem. I will not be bought by someone nor will I sell anything."

The Secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) and the Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TTWREIS) for the last seven years, he had, as TSWREIS Secretary, played an instrumental role in uplifting and empowering students from underprivileged communities.