Bhopal: Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district have barred officers from taking selfies or filming social media reels while in uniform, warning that any officer posting such content will face disciplinary action.
The order by Rewa division Deputy Inspector General of Police Rajesh Singh Chandel, issued after a police inspector posted a reel recreating a Bollywood song while signing official files, said such behaviour hurt the image of the police force.
In the reel uploaded on social media, Ankita Mishra, inspector-in-charge of Sagra police station in Rewa district, was seen signing official files and pausing to mimic the lyrics and gestures of the popular song, ‘Ab tere dil mein hum aa gaye’ from the 1999 movie Aarzoo featuring Madhuri Dixit and Akshay Kumar.
The reel went viral on Instagram, drawing sharp criticism with several users suggesting Mishra should spend her time in the Mumbai film industry instead of the police force.
In his order issued after the reel went viral, Chandel said, “It has been frequently observed that some police personnel, while in uniform and on duty, are taking selfies and posting them on social media in a stylish/inappropriate/viral manner.”
“The Police Department is a disciplined force, and any such behavior by police personnel is considered indiscipline and brings disrepute to the department. This negatively affects the image of the police among the public,” he added.
The order noted that despite repeated instructions, police officers and continued to engage in such behaviour.
“Not refraining from such conduct also shows a lack of seriousness towards their duty but also reveals the officer/employee’s own poor intentions,” Chandel said in his order.
“If any such post is published on social media in any way, then the concerned officer/employee will be considered guilty of violating departmental discipline, and strict disciplinary action will be taken against them. The concerned employee will be solely responsible for the consequences of such actions.”
Before Ankita Mishra, head constable Sanjay Verma from City Kotwali police station in Rewa had made several reels on popular Bollywood songs while on duty on April 16.
Many of these reels had gone viral on social media, leading Superintendent of Police Vivek Singh to issue a show cause notice to her.
Last year, in May 2024, another constable from Rewa had made a reel on a song in support of Samajwadi Chief Akhilesh Yadav while on duty. Vivek Singh had transferred the constable after the reel.
After repeated incidents and previous disciplinary action failing to work as a deterrent, a formal order was issued, cautioning police officers and personnel.
The order called for immediate compliance and asked all station heads to inform their staff and obtain their signatures in the station diary within the next three days.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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At the same time, the Indian state needs a makeover to show that it isn’t unfriendly to the people it is supposed to serve. People like this police lady help make that change. Maybe what’s needed is a definition of limits – state employees should not show their politics but a little bit of singing and dancing only helps humanize them.
Indian youth have become addicted to reels and videos. Most of them wish to become an “influencer”. It’s a sorry state of affairs.
The government must wake up and take note of the situation. Immediate steps are required to combat this evil.