Report on IPS officer's 'selfie' with star sought

The Kerala Home Department has sought a report from DGP TP Senkumar over the act of young woman IPS official Merin Joseph who had posed in full uniform for a photograph with young generation Malayalam film star Nivin Pauly. It made young Congress MlA Hibi Eden click that picture and uploaded it on Facebook during a public function in Kochi.

The Home Secretary’s action was based on a complaint that the young IPS official, then Assistant Superintendent of Police in Ernakulam (Rural), had acted in a manner that was inappropriate for her position.The incident had taken place on July 12, a day after Additional DGP Rishiraj Singh sparked off a controversy with his alleged refusal to respect the State Home Minister at an official function and several senior legislators, top cops and a section of the media had termed Merin Joseph’s conduct as improper and immature.

During a recess in the function at a Kochi college, Merin Joseph, on the dais in full uniform, was seen requesting Nivin Pauly, chief guest of the programme, for permission to be photographed along with him, handing over her mobile to the young MlA, posing with the film star and being photographed.According to TV channels which aired the entire sequence, she then uploaded the photo immediately on Facebook. The incident sparked off questions concerning protocol — as in the case of Rishiraj Singh — and even senior Congress leaders were not much appreciative of the conduct of Hibi Eden MlA.

According to a former leftist MP, the way the MlA and the police official had behaved showed the lack of seriousness of the two persons about the positions they were holding. Rejecting the argument that this was a private matter, he pointed out that the MlA had attended the programme in his official capacity and that the police official was in uniform.

However, Merin herself was not prepared to take the criticisms seriously. She wrote in her Facebook page: “…I don’t react to non-issues. And for those who still need clarification, I am pointing out that the pic was taken by MlA Hibi Eden after getting his consent and that too, during a lighter moment over a shared joke.”

The IPS official said that “some dubious, unheard-of” TV channel with no idea of journalistic ethics, was trying to define protocols for officers. “For the information of anybody who cares about this cheap sensationalising, I state that I was a guest at the function, had no official duties,” she wrote in her Facebook page.

The Home Department’s demand for a report from the DGP on the young IPS official’s act has come just days after it had served a showcause notice on Rishiraj Singh for ‘disrespecting’ Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala at an official programme in Thrissur. That controversy had come to a close just the other day.

“This is a time when young people are prepared even to sacrifice their lives for the sake of stunning selfies. Youngsters would do anything if they can get photographed along with their favourite screen heroes. The official’s act, unfortunately, created an impression that she is just another adolescent girl belonging to this category,” said the retired official.