Under fire for failure to check crime, UP’s DGP comes up with ‘cosmetic policing’ 

On Sunday, Uttar Pradesh’s Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh invited constables and lunched with them at Fauzi Dhaba. The event was publicized in media as a “major outreach of the DGP towards constables.”  This happened when law and order of the state is in a bad state, and policemen, instead of doing their policing work, were busy taking selfies with the DGP, which they later gleefully uploaded on the Facebook pages.

A spokesperson for the DGP claimed that these were no ordinary constables but were chosen among hundreds of cops over the last month. They were drawn from all 75 districts of the state, as per the DGP’s spokesperson.

The whole exercise indicates that UP’s DGP and his office seem be to busy in cosmetic policing and were, in fact, making every bid to conceal even sensational crimes.

This is also evident from the fact that two cases of crime against fairer sex, in which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reacted strongly and suspended SPs of Sambhal and Pratapgarh respectively, failed to find places in the press note released by the DGP office.

Interestingly, in other cases, including some tragic incidents in which CM's office reacted, the DGP’s office did not bother to mention it in press notes released for the media.

Going by the press note released by DGP 's Public Relations Officer, Rahul Srivastava, one would be given to understand that UP was the most peaceful state in the country, without any sensational crime being committed.

Press notes in recent months have only reflected that UP Police was busy in cracking the whip against criminals and organised gangs and only contain 'good works' only.

Sources claimed that with a spurt in sensational crimes and the pathetic failure of the DGP and his team, the latter planned to go `cosmetic policing’ to divert public attention and keep the political masters in good stead.

Unlike in previous regime when DGP’s bulletin mostly mentioned sensational crimes and some outstanding good work, matters are just the opposite in the present dispensation.

Sources said that people from across UP regularly visit DGP’s Grievances Cell to get problems addressed but hardly get relief.

“The PR section of DGP office is busy handling his Twitter account and improve police’s image, at least on social media. Not only this, unlike in previous regimes, police press notes mostly have some or the other circulars of DGP on various crime control issues to give the impression that the top cop is very active. Whether these were followed remain a closely guarded secret,” said sources.