DGP Rashmi Shukla warns police personnel against organising farewell for transfering officers

Screengrab of videos of police officers` farewell

Don't upload videos of farewell of colleagues on social media, states a recent circular issued by Rashmi Shukla, Director General of Maharashtra Police. The circular issued on Wednesday to the policemen across the state mentioned that the videos of farewells organised by colleagues of officers who are being transferred, when uploaded on social media, become fodder for public gossip and undermine the discipline within the department.

The circular issued by Shukla came after a video of Senior Inspector Jitendra Vankoti's send-off programme went viral on social media.

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It reads, "Transfer for policemen is a routine procedure. An officer who gets transferred to another station often finds colleagues and officers arranging felicitation and farewell programmes within the station premises. During these programmes, officers and felicitated, showered with flowers and escorted in a decorated police van. The officers upload videos of these events on their social media for publicity and circulation; however, it damages the reputation of the police. Such videos undermine discipline within the police department and become topics of public gossip. They create the impression that the officer is retiring from duty."

The order further stated that policemen should refrain from conducting such events for officers being transferred and that any officer should be known for their work and not such eye-grabbing videos.

"Policemen should not conduct such felicitation or send-off programs for officers being transferred from one police station to another. An officer should be known for their work, not for such videos. This spreads a negative message in society. Policemen are not permitted to organise such events. Any police personnel found arranging such programmes will face punishment. The department will also take action against the organisers and participants," the order further states.

PSI felicitation viral

SI Jitendra Vankoti, attached to Naya Nagar police station in Mira Bhayander area, was transferred recently and his station colleagues organised a farewell event wherein they showered flowers on him inside the police station. The video of the same went viral on social media.

A similar event happened in Kandivali when SI Sandeep Vishwasrao of Kandivali Police Station was transferred. Meanwhile, in another incident from Thane, the police station arranged for a vintage car and attached it to a police vehicle with a rope for the farewell of a colleague.