UP: Cops’ fetish to ape Bollywood stars catches them on wrong foot in Basti

LUCKNOW: A video of gun-toting cops led by a sub-inspector clad in jeans and directing his four colleagues as if the team is executing an operation, landed the entire team in trouble after it went viral on social media.
The video, which had a background score which made it more like a promo of a Bollywood thriller instead of a police operation, saw the UP director general of police order a probe and all five cops were transferred out of Basti district.
The video, which kept on circulating from Friday, was noticed by the senior officials at the DGP headquarters only after a span of 24 hours inviting action.
Taking cognisance of the video, DGP OP Singh said, "We do not sanction unprofessional display of weapons and grotesque caricature of police. All the cops featuring the video ought to be sent to the lines and a CO must conduct a threadbare probe."
The video shows the cops brandishing their guns and walking across a green stretch of land. The video features a sub-inspector wearing black-shades and issuing directions to four members of his unit by showing guns.
Few days back, cops of Gujarat Police were also caught in a similar act inviting action by the top brass.
On Saturday, Basti SP Pankaj Kumar told TOI that all the five cops were of the Special Weapons Arms and Tactics (SWAT) team of the crime branch cell of the district police. “The video had featured sub-inspector-Vikram Singh, two head constables- Chhote Lal, and Surendra Yadav, and two constables-Amit Pathak and Sadanand Yadav, and all have been sent to the lines and transferred too,” said Kumar.
Kumar also said that a show-cause notice has also been issued to them about the same and asked to explain the reason for them to show up in such a manner.
“A Dy SP has been asked to probe the incident and also identify and trace the person who made the video,” added Kumar.