Cops’ photographs with covered faces, black bands go viral again
LUCKNOW: Photographs of UP Police constables and sub inspectors flaunting black bands to express their resentment once again went viral on social media here on Wednesday.
But this time, the protesting cops wore masks and helmets to conceal their identities, because at least nine constables across the state were suspended for a similar protest on October 5.
However, while the previous protest of the constabulary on October 5 was totally in support of the two cops arrested for the murder of Apple executive Vivek Tiwari in Lucknow on September 29, on Wednesday, some cops also posted a poster, saying that the protest had nothing to do with Vivek Tiwari case and their demand was to address discrepancies in salaries and amendment of British era Police Act through which they were being governed.
The resignation letters of two constables Rahul Panchal and Mohit Kumar, posted at reserve police lines in Faizabad, also went viral on Wednesday. The letters said they were not getting leave and were unable to look after their families living in Baghpat.
But SSP Faizabad Akhilesh Chaurasiya said he talked to both constables and they denied writing any such letter. He said Panchal was already on leave while Kumar had no issues. Senior police authorities at DGP headquarters questioned about the authenticity of the photographs but ordered local intelligence units and other district officials to collect information and identify those involved.
DIG (law and order) Praveen Kumar said that no incident of constables’ protest was reported across the state . The entire force worked normally, he said, adding the messages were from some mischief mongers and the authenticity of the photographs was yet to be ascertained. He said stern action would be taken if any constable was found involved in indiscipline despite being warned. To recall, after the protest on October 5, the state intelligence sleuths sounded an alert in western Uttar Pradesh on the same day, regarding ‘some people’ circulating messages on different WhatsApp groups, urging constables to boycott work on October 10.
The alert was from SP intelligence, Meerut region, asking the police wings concerned to collect information about the call for work boycott to seek support for the arrested constables in Vivek Tiwari murder case. The messages read: “Traffic cops should go to duty but not control traffic and civil police men should go to police stations but not visit any crime spot or attend to any public complaints.”