JOIN US'Social media changing public perception of cops'
Police Commissioner B Dayananda, on Wednesday, said the fast growing social media has helped in quickly recognising the good deeds rendered by the men in khaki.
Addressing the gathering, after conferring the annual ‘Knights in Khaki’ shields on eight police personnel from the city and district units, at a hotel here, the police commissioner cited a few such examples, where the services of policemen drew the attention of the public after their pictures were posted on social networking sites. The award is instituted by the Mysore Round Table-21 and Mysore Ladies Circle-9.
“Mention must be made of two photos, pertaining to policemen, that went viral. One performing his duty amid rain and another helping a foreign national, in Bengaluru. The photos received thousands of likes. More than that, a Facebook page on a police constable called Bhaskar, popularly known as ‘Singham’ Bhaskar, is a hit among the surfers,” he said.
Dayananda said, most people may be unaware of the police commissioner, but Bhaskar is known to all. Though the public perception about police has been changing in recent times, the department cannot expect better opinion from the public always. Applause or no applause, the motto is to ensure orderliness in the society.
Mysuru and Kodagu MP Prathap Simha credited the constabulary for forming the major chunk of the force in mitigating crime. “It was constable Tukaram Kamble who apprehended Afzal Kasab, during the 26/11 terrorist attack on Mumbai. Kamble, though died in the line of duty later during the attack. Moreover, he helped uncover the handiwork of Pakistan behind the attack. It is human rights activists, who are coming in the way of the sentinels in performing their duty,” Simha lamented.
Simha was all praise of SP Abhinav Khare, who was effervescent in controlling the situation at Periyapatna town recently, following the suspicious death of a four-year-old boy. “It’s time, the people notice the good deeds of the department. The personnel should get better housing facilities, and free education for their children,” he said.
Honoured
M J Shankar from Mandi station, H V Madhukesh, Nazarbad, M Pushpa of City Crime Records Bureau (CCRB) and K C Basavaraju, K R Traffic, from the city stations, T H Manchigaiah, Talkad, Umesh, Periyapatna, and M J Raghu of the district armed reserve (DAR) police, from the district unit were felicitated.