Alarmed by the falling image of UP Police following incidents in which cops had arguments with ticket collectors over free traveling in trains, Director-General of Police DS Chauhan instructed the district police chiefs to instruct policemen of their respective jurisdiction and ask them to travel in trains as per rules. He advised action as per rule against errant cops.
In a letter sent to commissioners of police in Lucknow, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Agra and Ghaziabad and all district police chiefs and the superintendent of police, railways, the DGP said several lakh passengers, including those hailing from other states in the country, and even foreigners travel by trains which passed UP.
“It has been seen in the past that if a policeman commits a wrong, the act is filmed and uploaded on social media and so it quickly reaches several lakh people and puts the UP Police in a poor light,” he said.
The DGP cited an incident which took place in Amarnath Express train’s AC coach in which cops had a heated argument with a ticket collector when questioned for traveling free in the AC coach of the train.
“A video of this incident went viral on social media and also the news related to it was published in newspapers,” he said.
The UP Police chief said these incidents dented the image of the UP government and also of the UP Police which was one of the biggest forces and was known for its impeccable discipline and a glorious past.
He said that the Pratapgarh Government Railway Police registered a case in connection with the thrashing of a TTE in Archna Express on March 14 while citing a few incidents of showdown between the TTEs and cops.
The DGP said the state government provided traveling allowances to cops going for government work and it was the responsibility of the cops to behave in a dignified way. “The policemen should not act in a way which dents the image of police,” he concluded.