TikTok videos: DGP issues circular on social media conduct for cops
Last week, both Ahmedabad and Vadodara police commissioners stated that police personnel in uniform should not engage in any act that harms the force’s image.
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Video grabs from the TikTok videos of IPS officer Manjita Vanzara and suspended Constable Alpita Chaudhary. (Screengrab)
The Director General of Police (DGP) on Monday issued a circular reminding all police personnel to use social media in accordance with the Gujarat Civil Services (Conduct) Rules (1971) and the Gujarat Police Act (1951).
In the circular, DGP Shivanand Jha said that a police personnel, even if not on duty or in uniform, should abide by the code of conduct deemed appropriate for them as a member of the police force.
Last week, both Ahmedabad and Vadodara police commissioners stated that police personnel in uniform should not engage in any act that harms the force’s image. TikTok videos of at least five police personnel from Gujarat surfaced last week, becoming a hot topic of debate even as action was taken against four of them.
A Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) Constable posted in Langhanaj police station in Mehsana, Alpita Chaudhary (24), was suspended for shooting videos of herself, singing and dancing inside the police station. Vadodara Sub-Inspector Arun Mishra was moved out of Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) to the traffic branch for posting a video in uniform inside a police station. More recently, two constables in Rajkot, Amit Pragji and Nilesh Poonabhai, were suspended, the former for featuring in a video and the latter for shooting it.
Two days after Chaudhary was suspended, videos of officer Manjita Vanzara, who is probing her case, surfaced on the same video-sharing app. The contradiction became a topic of debate across social media and Vanzara defended herself saying that she was “not wearing uniform during duty hours”.
Meanwhile, videos of another constable, Sangeeta Parmar, posted at Mahila Police Station in Ahmedabad went viral. Dressed in her police uniform, she is seen cracking one-liners in a “duet” with another TikTok user.
The circular on Monday came with a warning that if any untoward conduct of police personnel is found on social media, the same shall be investigated. It reasoned that using social media with discretion and keeping in mind the code of conduct around it is recommended, so as to not damage the image and reputation of the police force.
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